I 


* 


LIFE 

OF 

D.L.  MILLER 


BY 


Bess  Royer  Bates 


BRETHREN  PUBLISHING  HOUSE 

ELGIN,  ILL. 

1921 


COPYRIGHT,  1921 
BRETHREN  PUBLISHING  HOUSE 


To  the  spirit  of 

unity  and  love,  engendered  by  Father  Miller 

in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 

this  book  is 

dedicated 


PEEFACE 

Father  Miller  was  my  mother's  oldest  brother, 
and  she,  the  youngest  in  the  family,  his  junior  by 
twenty-two  years.  When  nine  years  old  she  was 
sent  to  live  with  him  in  Polo,  Illinois.  A  few 
months  after  her  arrival  their  mother  died,  and 
from  that  time  he  and  his  wife  became  "  Father  " 
and  "  Mother  "  to  her.  After  she  married  Galen 
B.  Eoyer,  our  father,  and  we  six  children  came  one 
by  one,  they  became  our  "  Fadder  "  and  "  Damma." 
When  we  grew  older  and  were  somewhat  ashamed 
of  our  childish  names  for  them,  we  called  them 
Grandpa  and  Grandma.  Father  Miller  and  our 
own  father  were  the  closest  of  associates  through 
practically  all  of  Father  Miller's  active  church  life. 
Thus,  Father  Miller  was  more  than  a  brother  to 
our  mother,  more  than  a  brother-in-law  to  our  fa- 
ther, and  much  more  than  an  uncle  to  us.  He  was 
sort  of  an  embodied  ideal,  a  realization  in  life  of 
those  heroic  dreams  of  character  that  so  rarely 
come  true  for  young  people  We  loved  him  and  we 
miss  him. 

Many  years  ago  my  father  started  collecting 
material  for  this  biography.  A  time  came  when 
he  was  not  able  to  continue,  and  I  took  up  the  work 


6  PREFACE 

where  he  had  left  off.  All  of  the  material  of  the 
first  seven  chapters  was  secured  by  him.  What- 
ever of  good  there  may  be  in  this  book  is  due,  in  a 
great  measure,  to  him.  Father  Miller,  himself,  had 
his  share  in  the  making  of  it,  for  he  related  many 
of  the  events  and  read  much  of  the  manuscript  be- 
fore his  death.  To  Brother  J.  E.  Miller  and  to  my 
husband,  Clyde  E.  Bates,  I  likewise  owe  much  for 
their  careful  reading  and  correction  of  the  manu- 
script. Others  have  helped  by  supplying  incidents 
and  giving  personal  views  on  Father  Miller's  life. 
To  them,  also,  I  am  indebted.  Aside  from  the 
above  aid,  I  have  examined  the  Gospel  Messengers 
throughout  the  twenty-six  years  of  Father's  active 
connection  with  that  paper ;  I  have  read  some  two 
thousand  or  more  of  his  private  letters,  and  have 
used  his  books  of  travel,  Annual  Meeting  Minutes 
and  church  histories  for  reference. 

At  the  recent  Conference,  when  the  news  of 
Father  Miller's  death  had  just  come,  many  people 
were  saddened.  One  said : 

"  The  last  time  I  saw  him  he  was  in  a  hurry 
and  just  had  time  to  grasp  my  hand  and  say, '  God 
bless  you,'  in  that  hearty  way  of  his." 

And  another  observed: 

"  He  would  come  into  our  home  and  sit  by  the 
fire  like  one  of  the  family." 

If  in  this  book  some  of  that  spirit  of  Father 
Miller's  can  be  preserved,  it  has  filled  its  purpose. 

August  12, 1921.  Bess  Koyer  Bates. 


CONTENTS 

Chapter    1.  Forbears 9 

Chapter    2.  Boyhood 15 

Chapter    3.  First  Ventures  from  Home 25 

Chapter    4.  A  Schoolmaster 31 

Chapter    5.  Early  Marriage 37 

Chapter    6.  Life  in  Polo 41 

Chapter    7.  His  Mother 47 

Chapter    8.  The  Move 53 

Chapter    9.  First  Trip  Abroad 65 

Chapter  10.  Palestine 73 

Chapter  11.  First  Book 83 

Chapter  12.  Editorial  Work 87 

Chapter  13.  "  Keligious  Activities  in  the 

Eighties." 101 

Chapter  14.  The  New  Home 113 

Chapter  15.  Second  Trip  Abroad 119 

7 


8  CONTENTS 

Chapter  16.  The  Keturn 127 

Chapter  17.  Third  Trip  Abroad 133 

Chapter  18.  Three  Books 149 

Chapter  19.  "  Girdling  the  Globe." 157 

Chapter  20.  Uniting  the  Church  Interests.  . . .  171 

Chapter  21.  Fifth  Trip  Abroad 185 

Chapter  22.  "  Bible  Land  Talks." 195 

Chapter  23.  Another  New  Home 203 

Chapter  24.  "  Don't  Worry  "  Club 211 

Chapter  25.  Annual  Conference  Work 219 

Chapter  26.  More  Travels 225 

Chapter  27.  "  The  Other  Half  of  the  Globe."  ..235 

Chapter  28.  Correspondence 245 

Chapter  29.  Sermons 271 

Chapter  30.  Editorials 303 

Chapter  31.  Close  of  Active  Work 313 

Chapter  32.  Last  Days 325 

Chapter  33.  What  They  Said 335 


CHAPTER  I 

FORBEARS 

DL.  MILLER  came  from  a  line  of  hard- 
working, prosperous  farmers.  It  is  not 
•  known  just  when  the  first  Millers  emi- 
grated to  America,  but  it  happened  some  time  be- 
fore the  War  of  Independence.  They  settled  in 
Pennsylvania  and  Maryland.  There  they  became 
prosperous,  were  respected,  and  died  better  off  than 
they  had  started  in  life.  Few  had  more  than  the 
most  rudimentary  education,  but  in  spite  of  that 
there  were  preachers  and  deacons  among  them 
and  men  whose  opinions  were  respected  in  the 
church.  Without  exception  they  belonged  to  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren. 

D.  L.  Miller's  grandfather,  Abram  Miller,  was 
born  in  1779  at  Fairview,  Maryland.  In  those  days 
life  was  not  as  peaceful  there  as  it  is  now,  because 
the  Indians  constantly  warred  on  the  whites.  When 
the  men  went  into  the  fields  to  work  they  took  their 
guns  with  them,  for  the  Indians  would  creep  up 
through  the  surrounding  woods  and  kill  them. 
When  Abram  was  yet  a  small  boy,  he  helped  with 
these  skirmishes,  learned  the  hard  life  of  the  pio- 
neer, and  grew  up  to  know  and  meet  danger.  His 

9 


10  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

parents  died  when  he  was  in  his  teens.  After  being 
thus  left  alone  he  went  to  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Wolf  and  learned  the  cabinet  trade.  When  thus 
prepared  to  make  a  living  he  married  Mary  Crill, 
about  1801.  For  seven  years  he  lived  near  Claylick 
Mountain  and  worked  at  his  trade.  Then  he  bought 
what  is  now  known  as  the  "  old  Miller  farm  "  of 
two  hundred  acres,  near  Welsh  Run,  Pennsylvania. 
There  he  farmed  and  worked  at  the  cabinet  trade 
until  his  death  at  the  age  of  forty-nine. 

Of  Mary  Crill  a  word  must  be  said,  for  she 
lived  to  be  past  eighty,  managed  her  farm  with  the 
help  of  her  boys  after  her  husband's  death,  and 
lived  a  life  that  left  the  impress  of  her  character 
stamped  on  those  about  her.  Her  parents  came  to 
America  a  few  years  before  the  War  of  Independ- 
ence, without  money,  but  anxious  to  make  a  home 
in  the  new  world.  Her  father  worked  out  as  a 
hired  hand,  then  rented  land  of  his  own  and  finally 
bought  a  farm.  At  his  death  he  was  able  to  leave 
each  of  his  children  a  goodly  sum,  for  he  died  a 
wealthy  man  for  his  day.  Evidently  Mary  inherit- 
ed the  determination  of  her  father. 

When  her  husband,  Abram  Miller,  died,  he 
left  her  with  eight  children,  four  boys  and  four 
girls.  The  older  two  boys  were  married  at  the  time. 
Abram,  the  third  son,  was  only  eighteen  and  his 
brother  David  quite  a  bit  younger.  With  the  help 
of  these  two  boys  she  continued  farming  until  the 
younger  was  forty-eight  years  old.  Then  she  sold 


THE  OLD  MILL  IN   WHICH  D.  L.   WAS  BORN  OCT.  5,   1841 


FORBEARS  11 

the  farm  and  lived  there  a  retired  life  until  her 
death,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two.  It  has  been  said 
that  Abram,  D.  L.  Miller's  own  father,  was  her  fa- 
vorite son,  and  that  what  Abram  did  she  thought 
was  done  right. 

For  ten  years  Abram  farmed  for  his  mother ; 
then  he  married  and  soon  after  bought  a  mill,  go- 
ing into  partnership  with  his  brothers,  on  the  Con- 
ococheague,  near  Hagerstown,  Maryland.  He  mar- 
ried Susan  Funk,  but  after  giving  birth  to  two 
sons,  she  died.  Two  years  later  he  married  Catha- 
rine Long  and  took  her  to  live  in  the  mill. 

Catharine  Long,  born  June  26,  1820,  was  the 
fourth  child  in  a  family  of  three  boys  and  nine 
girls.  Her  father  was  Daniel  Long,  a  prosperous 
farmer  and  deacon  in  the  Brethren  church.  In  1846 
the  Longs  moved  to  Illinois,  where  may  be  found 
their  descendants,  a  large  relationship  of  honora- 
ble and  well-to-do-people. 

Abram  and  Catharine  began  housekeeping  in 
the  basement  of  the  mill.  Even  now,  when  some 
of  the  Miller  boys  and  their  one  sister  get  together, 
they  speak  of  that  old  mill  as  if  it  were  their  home. 
Whenever  they  have  the  opportunity  they  go  to 
visit  it.  When  D.  L.  Miller  was  there  for  the  last 
time,  the  room  in  which  he  was  born  was  being 
used  for  a  pigpen,  but  still  it  was  hallowed  in  his 
eyes,  as  it  had  been  his  birthplace.  It  appears  that 
before  Abram  was  able  to  build  a  better  home, 
Daniel  came,  bringing  joy  and  responsibility  to  the 


12  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

little  family  who  made  their  home  in  the  base- 
ment of  the  mill.  The  sound  of  the  wheel  and  the 
grinding  of  the  mill  were  constantly  in  his  baby 
ears,  and,  in  that  unconcious  way  children  have, 
he  learned  to  love  them,  for  he  did  not  really  real- 
ize how  much  he  loved  that  old  home  until  he  was 
taken  away  from  it. 

A  year  later  Abram  built  a  large  brick  house 
near  the  mill,  and  that  became  the  center  of  the 
family  life.  There  the  rest  of  his  thirteen  chil- 
dren were  born  and  reared.  Soon  he  bought  out 
the  shares  of  his  brother,  and  also  purchased  land, 
which  he  farmed.  He  was  prosperous  for  his  day, 
and  at  one  time  even  was  accounted  wealthy. 

And  what  kind  of  a  man  was  Abram  Miller, 
whose  sons  have  been  such  a  credit  to  him?  A 
short  time  ago  I  was  riding  in  an  automobile  with 
D.  L.,  Frank  and  George.  The  brothers  were  gray- 
haired,  but  glad  as  boys  to  be  together  again.  They 
fell  to  talking  of  their  father.  Said  George : 

"  Things  have  changed  since  father's  time.  I 
wonder  what  he  would  say  could  he  be  here  now — 
automobiles,  air-planes,  farm  machinery,  tele- 
phones." 

"  He  would  have  them,"  declared  Frank.  "  He 
had  the  first  reaper  in  our  neighborhood." 

"  That's  right,"  agreed  George.  "  Father  al- 
ways believed  in  keeping  up  with  the  times." 

His  success  proves  that.  He  was  hard-work- 
ing, thrifty,  and  honest — even  generous  in  his  deal- 


FORBEARS  13 

ings  with  others.  D.  L.  remembers  well  the  over- 
flowing measures  of  flour  he  sold.  He  was  a  si- 
lent man  and  rather  stern  with  his  children.  He 
did  not  spare  himself,  and  he  expected  a  like  effort 
from  them.  They  respected  him  a  great  deal,  loved 
him  as  their  father,  feared  his  wrath  and  obeyed 
his  will.  He  was  a  deacon  in  the  church  and  took 
an  active  part  in  church  work.  In  his  later  days 
he  was  a  great  Bible  reader.  In  appearance,  he 
was  tall  and  thin,  dark-eyed,  strong  featured  and 
naturally  commanded  respect.  Though  not  a  li- 
censed practitioner,  he  had  a  particular  knack  for 
curing  illnesses,  and  many  a  person  came  to  him  to 
be  treated  for  rheumatism.  He  had  astonishing 
success  in  doing  it,  too.  He  taught  his  boys  hard 
work,  honesty  and  thrift,  and  thus  prepared  them 
well  to  meet  life. 

Catharine  Miller  was  a  true  mother.  She 
ruled  by  love,  and  her  boys  and  one  girl  loved  her 
as  few  mothers  are  loved.  She  not  only  mothered 
her  own  family,  but  mothered  all  those  about  her. 
Many  came  to  Aunt  Katie  for  advice,  counsel  in 
trouble,  and  more  active  service  in  sickness  and 
death.  There  must  have  been  confidence,  repose 
and  a  very  great  love  for  others  hidden  in  her  heart, 
for  she  inspired  those  qualities  in  others.  Her 
children  came  to  her  with  their  troubles  and  de- 
sires and  she  satisfied  them.  Even  years  after 
her  death,  her  influence  still  guided  them  in  a  very 
unusual  manner. 


14  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

Of  such  people  was  D.  L.  Miller  born  on  Oct. 
5,  1841.  Thirteen  children  in  all  came  to  Abram 
and  Catharine  Miller,  only  eight  surviving  child- 
hood. They  are  as  follows : 

Martin  S.,  born  Jan.  19,  1843,  and  died  in 
August,  1907. 

Sarah,  born  Jan.  9,  1845,  died  in  infancy. 

Franklin  Z.,  born  April  24,  1846,  died  Decem- 
ber 18,  1920. 

Andrew  Friedly,  born  Sept.  14,  1847. 

William  R,  born  Oct.  25,  1849. 

Jacon,  born  Dec.  29,  1850;  Samuel,  July  24, 
1852;  and  Mary  Ella,  Dec.  22,  1853,  all  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

David,  born  Aug.  29, 1855,  died  June,  1908. 

Elizabeth  is  without  record. 

George  K.,  born  June  15, 1860. 

Anna  Martha,  born  May  21,  1863. 


CHAPTER  II 

BOYHOOD 

OF  the  first  years  of  his  life,  D.  L.  Miller 
wrote  some  time  ago :  "  During  the  year 
1841  and  part  of  '42,  I  used  my  energy 
in  drawing  rations  and  breath.  Before  I  was  a 
year  old,  owing  to  the  imminent  coming  of  a  rival, 
I  reluctantly  gave  up  drawing  my  rations  and  took 
them  from  a  spoon.  i  Vittles  '  proved  successful, 
and  I  entered  the  second  year  in  good  shape — 
sound  in  body,  mind  and  limb.  The  year  was  spent 
in  eating  and  drinking  and  riotous  living.  At  this 
time  I  have  no  distinct  recollection  of  having  dis- 
tinguished myself  during  this  year,  except  that,  I 
am  told,  I  took  a  turn  at  the  measles  and  came 
out  ahead. 

"  My  recollections  of  1845  are  compressed  into 
a  single  event.  I  stood  at  the  door  of  my  Grand- 
father Long's  barn  and  saw  a  drove  of  cattle  pass- 
ing along  the  highway — the  man  in  front  leading 
an  ox,  and  calling  out,  at  regular  intervals :  '  Su- 
kee,  su-kee.' ' 

In  1845,  Baby  Sarah  was  born,  but  soon  died. 
D.  L.  could  remember  his  mother's  tears  as  she 
bent  over  the  sick  child,  and  also  that  he  wanted  to 

15 


16  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

go  to  the  funeral,  but  lie  had  to  stay  at  home  with 
the  negro  mammy.  He  says :  "Among  my  earliest 
recollections  is  that  of  my  dear,  sainted  mother. 
Her  influence  on  my  life  was  always  foremost  and 
it  saved  me  from  many  evil  things." 

At  five,  D.  L.  started  to  school.  In  the  forties 
country  schools  were  not  what  they  are  now.  The 
schoolhouse  where  D.  L.  attended  was  made  of 
logs.  The  seats  were  of  slabs,  built  too  high  for 
the  little  fellows'  feet  to  touch  the  floor.  So  they 
sat  with  feet  dangling  tiresomely  through  the  day. 
There  were  from  forty  to  sixty  pupils  in  the  school. 
Each  pupil  paid  the  teacher  two  dollars  a  term. 
Thus  he  received  his  salary  and  in  return  taught 
the  pupils  to  read,  write  and  figure.  Some  teach- 
ers were  competent;  others  were  lazy.  D.  L.  re- 
members one  who  slept  during  school  hours  and 
another  who  got  drunk.  But  some  taught  the 
squirming  youngsters  conscientiously,  and  D.  L. 
fell  in  love  with  these,  for  he  liked  his  books. 

He  had  learned  to  read  before  he  started  to 
school,  and  that  made  the  first  days  much  easier 
for  him.  Nevertheless,  he  felt  very  strange  and 
out  of  place  among  the  big  boys  and  girls  on  that 
first  day.  He  did  well  in  school  and  advanced 
rapidly.  At  nine  he  was  in  three  spelling  classes 
and  reached  the  "  head  "  of  what  was  known  as  the 
"  big  class."  This  caused  some  jealousy  among  the 
older  pupils,  who  did  not  like  to  be  outdone  by  a 
boy  so  young. 


THE  SPRING  HOUSE  AT  D.   L.'S  HOME 


BOYHOOD  17 

But  his  schooldays  were  not  all  spent  in  stand- 
ing at  the  head  of  his  classes.  He  had  his  share  of 
trouble  and  mischief,  which  was  punished  in  the 
usual  way.  The  hickory  wTas  used  in  those  days,  as 
he  can  well  remember.  But  there  was  one  punish- 
ment that  made  a  deeper  impression  on  him  than 
any  whipping  ever  did.  He  tells  of  it  as  follows : 

"  One  day,  a  few  of  us  boys  caught  a  frog  in  a 
neighboring  brook  and  butchered  it.  The  teacher 
heard  of  it  and  had  the  five  of  us  seated  together  on 
one  of  the  slab  benches.  He  had  us  roll  our  trou- 
sers above  our  knees.  Then  he  stood  in  front  of  us, 
knife  and  whetstone  in  hand.  As  he  sharpened  his 
knife,  he  told  us  how  the  frog  we  butchered  suffered 
pain,  and  he  wanted  us  to  know  just  how  the  poor 
little  thing  suffered  when  we  cut  its  legs  oif .  I  do 
not  think  there  was  a  boy  in  the  lot  but  that  felt 
assured  he  was  going  to  lose  a  leg.  There  was 
weeping  and  mourning  in  concert.  When  the  ex- 
hibition was  over,  and  we  escaped  with  our  legs, 
we  were  a  happy  lot.  I  learned  a  lesson  then  that 
I  never  forgot.  Teachers  used  the  rods  in  those 
days  freely,  but  the  rod  never  gave  me  a  lesson  as 
did  the  teacher  with  his  knife  and  whetstone." 

The  subscription  schools  lasted  only  four 
months  during  the  winter,  so,  at  best,  the  boys  and 
girls  received  a  meager  education.  D.  L.  attended 
school  each  winter  until  he  was  twelve;  then  he 
began  work.  For  only  two  seasons  after  that  was 
he  able  to  be  in  school.  In  the  winter  of  1858  he 


18  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

spent  three  months  in  school,  and  in  the  winter  of 
1860-61  he  attended  a  district  school  in  Ogle  Coun- 
ty, Illinois,  taught  by  O.  F.  Lamb. 

D.  L.  loved  his  school,  and  particularly  some 
of  the  teachers.  Sam  Earner  was  a  good  instructor, 
he  says.  After  teaching  at  Kichdale,  Maryland, 
Sam  Ramer  moved  to  Ohio  and  worked  in  a  print- 
ing office.  From  him,  D.  L.  received  his  first  let- 
ter. That  made  a  deep  impression  on  his  boyish 
mind.  Though  his  regular  school  work  was  defi- 
nitely stopped  at  the  age  of  "twelve,  and  the  small 
D.  L.  was  put  to  work,  his  desire  to  learn  was  not 
appeased.  Later,  he  took  three  lessons  a  week  in 
reading,  writing  and  grammar  from  a  teacher,  Geo. 
Hicks.  Thus  he  spent  his  spare  time  in  an  effort 
to  advance.  He  had  an  ambition  to  go  on  to  school 
and  also  to  become  a  teacher.  This  ambition 
George  Hicks  helped  to  keep  alive  by  his  encourage- 
ment and  practical  assistance  with  the  lessons. 

Being  the  eldest  of  a  large  family  of  children, 
a  good  deal  was  expected  of  D.  L.  He  learned  to 
work  early  in  life,  and  soon  was  able  to  help  his 
father  about  the  mill  and  on  the  farm.  At  twelve, 
D.  L.  was  hired  out  to  Philip  Hammond  for  $2.50 
per  month.  He  worked  for  him  for  seven  months. 
He  was  very  homesick  and  spent  many  nights  cry- 
ing for  home,  but  in  spite  of  that  he  stuck  to  his 
task  and  proved  such  a  good  worker  that  the  next 
year  he  was  able  to  get  $4.50  per  month  with  Jacob 
Sword,  "  on  the  rockiest  farm  in  our  parts." 


BOYHOOD  19 

The  following  year,  1856,  he  was  employed  by 
Jacob  Funk,  a  deacon  in  the  church.  Of  this  place 
he  says :  "  I  had  the  usual  ups  and  downs  of  a  boy's 
life.  I  marketed  butter  for  them  in  Hagerstown. 
A  lot  of  boys  used  to  throw  stones  at  me,  as  I  rode 
out  of  town.  One  day  I  got  off  old  '  Fan  ' — the  bay 
mare — and  settled  the  whole  score  with  them.  Six 
or  eight  of  them  left  me  victor  in  the  field  of  battle, 
and  after  that  there  was  no  more  stone-throwing." 

The  following  three  years  he  worked  at  home, 
on  the  farm  and  in  the  mill.  His  father  had  what 
was  known  as  a  merchant  mill.  He  bought  the 
grain,  ground  it,  and  then  sold  the  flour.  The  daily 
capacity  of  the  mill  was  twenty-four  barrels.  The 
mill  ran  day  and  night,  so  some  one  had  to  be  con- 
stantly in  attendance,  to  take  away  the  full  barrels 
of  flour  and  to  place  the  empty  ones  to  receive  it. 
The  Miller  boys  took  turns  in  doing  this.  D.  L.  did 
his  full  share.  The  wheat  was  ground  between 
huge  millstones,  the  upper  weighing  about  two 
tons  and  the  lower  something  less  than  that.  Small 
grooves  were  carved  into  the  faces  of  these  stones 
with  a  chisel,  and  as  they  wore  away  by  the  con- 
stant grinding,  new  ones  had  to  be  made.  D.  L. 
became  an  expert  at  doing  this.  Even  until  his 
death,  he  carried  the  tiny  black  marks  in  his  hands, 
from  the  little  pieces  of  steel  which  flew  from  the 
chisel  and  lodged  in  his  flesh.  His  father's  hands 
were  black  from  this  same  cause. 

Farm  work  he  did  not  like.    While  he  did  not 


20  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

shirk  it,  he  said  it  never  gave  him  satisfaction  or 
inspired  him  with  ambition.  Later  in  life  he  took 
great  pleasure  in  his  beautiful  garden,  but  he 
longed  to  get  away  from  the  farm.  His  father- 
probably  in  a  fit  of  vexation — told  him  that  he 
would  never  amount  to  anything,  because  he  did 
not  like  the  farm. 

All  of  D.  L.'s  wages  were  turned  over  to  his 
father  until  he  was  twenty-one.  Boys  were  ex- 
pected to  do  this  in  those  days.  In  return  his 
mother  bought  his  clothes  and  what  necessary 
things  he  had  to  have.  He  had  no  spending  money, 
and,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  his  father  was  ac- 
counted wealthy,  for  his  time,  no  luxuries. 

D.  L.  loved  to  read.  He  can  not  remember 
when  he  did  not  know  his  letters  and  he  learned  to 
read  before  he  started  to  school  at  five.  His  father's 
library  contained  a  Bible,  a  hymn  book  and  a 
history  of  the  world.  His  mother  gave  him  a  Bible, 
."  Kobinson  Crusoe  "  and  "  Pilgrim's  Progress." 
The  latter  book  he  read  many  times,  when  a  boy, 
and  used  to  dream  about  it.  With  little  direction 
or  help  from  any  one,  he  spent  every  spare  moment 
reading  everything  he  could  find.  He  borrowed 
books  from  any  one  who  would  lend  them,  and 
read  so  constantly  that  he  was  compared  to  an  old 
man  by  the  name  of  Ad  Troup  who,  it  was  said,  had 
gone  crazy  because  he  had  read  so  much. 

When  working  in  the  field  he  would  carry  a 
book  along  to  peruse  during  the  lunch  hour.  One 


BOYHOOD  21 

time  he  became  so  interested  in  Ms  book  that  he 
forgot  to  go  back  to  work,  and  spent  the  entire  aft- 
ernoon reading.  He  was  punished  for  this.  When 
tending  the  mill,  he  always  read  lying  on  his  stom- 
ach while  the  barrels  were  being  filled  with  flour. 
Once  when  just  a  small  boy  he  could  not  be  found. 
At  last,  after  a  long  search,  he  was  discovered  in 
the  parlor — usually  closed  to  everyday  affairs— 
sound  asleep  beside  the  family  Bible,  which  he  had 
been  reading. 

In  spite  of  their  busy  life  the  Miller  boys  had 
a  good  time.  They  were  apt  youngsters  and  took 
naturally  to  making  the  things  they  could  not  buy. 
In  summer,  on  the  millpond,  they  had  a  sailboat. 
They  made  a  diving  board  and  enjoyed  all  the 
pleasures  of  a  good  swim.  D.  L.  was  a  famous 
skater.  The  ice  on  the  millpond  was  very  clear  in 
winter.  A  fish  could  be  followed  as  it  swam  in 
the  water.  Then  a  sharp  blow  on  the  ice  would 
daze  it,  and  the  boys  would  quickly  break  the  ice 
and  secure  the  fish. 

At  six,  the  small  D.  L.  fell  in  love  with  their 
hired  girl,  Nancy  Hufford.  "As  she  was  twenty- 
one,"  he  writes,  "  and  I  had  reached  the  mature  age 
of  six,  the  case  was  hopeless."  Later  on  he  wanted 
to  be  a  stage  driver.  He  tells  of  this  as  follows : 

"  When  I  was  a  lad,  I  rode  horseback  to  Ha- 
gerstown  twice  a  week  for  my  father's  mail.  That 
was  before  there  was  a  railway  to  Hagerstown. 
The  mail  was  brought  from  Frederick  on  a  four- 


22  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

horse  stage.  I  used  to  watch  the  stage  driver, 
seated  on  the  upper  seat,  as  he  brought  the  horses 
to  a  gallop  on  entering  the  town,  and  I  felt  that  he 
was  a  great  man.  My  earliest  ambition  was  to  be 
a  stage  driver.  One  of  my  acquaintances  occupied 
this  elevated  position  and  I  longed  to  imitate  him. 
Forty  years  later  I  met  him  in  Maryland,  driving 
a  poor  horse  in  a  small  wagon,  carrying  mail  from 
one  office  to  another,  and  I  had  a  talk  with  him.  I 
was  glad  then  that  I  had  never  realized  my  ambi- 
tion." 

Later  on  he  desired  to  teach  school,  and  it  is 
probable,  that,  but  for  a  trick  of  fate,  he  definitely 
would  have  entered  the  teaching  profession  when  a 
young  man.  When  a  boy  his  ambitions  were  not 
very  well  defined.  Doubtless  the  constant  reading 
and  the  desire  to  get  away  from  the  farm,  inspired 
him  with  the  ambitions  of  most  boys,  to  conquer 
the  world  when  he  had  the  chance. 

At  twelve  he  was  converted.  But  in  those 
days  boyish  conversions  were  frowned  on  by  par- 
ents, so  he  said  nothing  of  his  change  of  heart.  It 
happened  while  working  for  Philip  Hammond,  the 
first  time  he  went  away  from  home.  He  slept  alone 
in  a  loft.  Of  this  conversion  he  says : 

"  Here,  alone  with  God,  I  first  felt  the  awaken- 
ing of  my  soul.  All  through  the  years  I  prayed  al- 
ways before  going  to  sleep,  but  here,  on  the  old  loft, 
in  the  dark  night,  I  had  a  call  to  give  my  heart  to 
him,  and  I  did  so.  I  am  sure  of  this."  Later  this 


BOYHOOD  23 

change  of  heart  was  submerged  in  the  occupations 
and  temptations  of  youth,  and  it  was  not  until,  as 
a  young  man,  he  openly  confessed  Christ. 
Thus  did  D.  L.  grow  toward  manhood. 


THE  OLD  HOME 


FIRST  VENTURES  FROM  HOME 

IN  October,  1860,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  D.  L. 
made  his  first  trip  from  home.  In  1845  his 
mother's  parents  and  all  their  family  had 
loaded  their  goods  on  wagons  and  moved  to  Illi- 
nois, leaving  Aunt  Katie,  his  mother,  the  only  one 
of  twelve  children,  in  Maryland.  During  the  fall  of 
1860  D.  L.'s  grandfather,  Daniel  Long,  and  uncle, 
Daniel  Zellers,  came  back  to  Maryland  on  a  visit. 
They  had  glowing  tales  to  tell  of  the  opportuni- 
ties in  the  West,  and  naturally  D.  L.  was  anxious 
to  return  with  them.  As  wages  were  then  but 
thirty-seven  cents  a  day  in  Maryland  and  a  dollar 
in  Illinois,  his  father  and  mother  were  persuaded 
that  he  should  accompany  them.  His  mother  very 
strongly  favored  his  going. 

That  fall  he  husked  corn  and  threshed  for  a 
dollar  a  day.  The  winter  was  spent  at  a  district 
school  near  Mount  Morris.  O.  F.  Lamb  was  the 
teacher.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  the  fol- 
lowing spring,  Mr.  Lamb  immediately  enlisted, 
and  thus  the  school  term  was  shortened.  This  was 
the  last  public  schooling  that  D.  L.  had.  The 

25 


26  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

spring  and  summer  of  1861  he  worked  for  his 
Uncle  John  Long  on  the  farm  for  $11.50  per  month 
and  in  November  returned  to  Maryland. 

The  year  in  the  West  served  to  broaden  him 
in  many  ways.  In  speaking  of  it  he  said : 

"  I  used  to  think  that  Hagerstown  was  the 
only  town  in  the  world,  but  I  found  out  differently. 
I  used  to  write  Hagerstown,  Washington  County, 
Maryland,  on  box  cars,  fences,  or  any  place  that  of- 
fered a  broad  surface  for  my  pencil.  That  trip 
west  did  me  good.  I  found  out  Hagerstown  was 
not  the  only  place  in  the  world." 

In  the  summer  of  1861,  while  in  Illinois,  he 
made  up  his  mind  to  enlist  in  the  war.  His  Uncle 
Andrew  was  going  with  him.  Just  as  they  had 
fully  made  up  their  minds  to  go,  a  relative  died, 
and  they  went  to  the  funeral.  Grandfather  Long 
drove  them  there  in  a  spring  wagon,  and  on  the 
way  pleaded  with  them  not  to  go  to  war.  At  the 
funeral  they  met  a  number  of  aunts,  who  added 
their  pleadings,  and  so  they  were  persuaded  not  to 
go  at  that  time.  He  visited  the  battle  field  of  An- 
tietam  soon  after  the  battle,  and  also  went  into 
various  hospitals.  These  sights  and  his  conversion 
later,  cured  him  of  all  desire  for  war. 

During  1862  he  worked  for  his  father  in  the 
mill  for  one  hundred  dollars  a  year.  The  follow- 
ing summer  and  fall  were  spent  in  Illinois,  working 
for  his  brother  Abram  in  a  mill  southwest  of  Mount 
Morris.  There  he  helped  to  build  a  milldam.  The 


FIRST  VENTURES  FROM  HOME  27 

year  1864  was  spent  in  his  father's  mill,  where  he 
again  received  one  hundred  dollars  for  his  year's 
work.  But  this  year  he  butchered  with  G.  W. 
Cook  and  thus  made  money  on  the  outside.  He 
spent  his  evenings  studying  in  preparation  to  be- 
gin teaching. 

Often  in  later  life,  D.  L.  compared  the  wages 
of  the  day  with  those  he  had  received  when  young. 
Life  was  simpler  then  and  money  not  so  plentiful. 
He  was  almost  grown  before  he  tasted  ice  cream 
or  had  an  orange.  Wages  of  a  dollar  a  day  seemed 
a  fortune  to  the  young  eastern  lad  who  had  been 
used  to  thirty-seven  cents.  As  he  grew  older,  his 
earning  power  steadily  increased,  as  he  was  on  the 
lookout  for  opportunities  for  making  money. 
Doubtless  he  would  have  been  a  very  wealthy  man 
had  he  given  his  energies  entirely  to  money  making. 

As  related  in  a  preceding  chapter,  at  the  age 
of  twelve  he  was  converted.  He  had  a  distinct 
change  of  heart  and  gave  himself  definitely  to 
Christ.  He  told  his  parents  of  this,  but  was  not 
encouraged  to  join  the  church,  for  in  those  days 
young  or  unmarried  people  rarely  were  taken  into 
the  church.  From  the  time  he  was  a  little  fellow 
he  had  repeated,  every  night,  the  Lord's  Prayer 
and  "  Now  I  Lay  Me  Down  to  Sleep."  He  attended 
Sunday-school  conducted  by  the  Church  of  God,  or 
Winebrennerians,  a  short  distance  from  home. 
There  he  received  a  Bible  as  a  prize  for  committing 
Scripture  verses  to  memory. 


28  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

Once,  during  this  period  of  his  life,  his  mother 
became  very  sick  and  he  learned  that  she  was 
not  expected  to  live.  Although  only  ten  years  old 
he  lay  in  his  bed  and  cried  and  prayed  most  ear- 
nestly until  midnight.  Then  there  came  to  him  the 
feeling  that  his  mother  would  get  well.  In  the 
morning  when  he  arose,  he  found  that  she  had  al- 
ready begun  to  improve. 

After  he  had  told  his  parents  of  the  conviction 
of  sin  and  forgiveness  which  followed,  he  fell  into 
company  which  led  him  away  from  Christ.  About 
the  mill,  cooper  shop  and  farm  were  employes  not 
of  the  most  godly  sort.  In  company  with  these,  he 
was  tempted.  In  later  life  he  sometimes  com- 
mented on  the  wonderful  protection  that  followed 
him  through  these  critical  years.  He  often  re- 
gretted that  he  had  not  been  received  into  church 
fellowship  when  first  converted  to  Christ.  Doubt- 
less the  love  and  prayers  of  his  mother  were  the 
restraint  which  kept  him  from  falling  into  evil 
ways.  On  coming  home  from  an  evening  with  his 
associates,  he  often  found  his  mother  praying  and 
weeping  for  him.  Certainly  that  sight  would  do 
much  to  keep  him  in  the  straight  path. 

When  nineteen,  he  attended  revival  meetings 
held  at  the  Winebrennerian  church.  Here  he  again 
felt  a  deep  conciousness  of  sin,  and  went  forward 
to  the  mourners'  bench,  but  no  farther.  Later  he 
joined  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Of  this  experi- 
ence, he  says  quite  simply :  "  Prior  to  this  had  a 


FIRST  VENTURES  FROM  HOME  29 

year's  struggle  before  I  got  the  victory  over  sin 
and  self."  And  of  his  baptism,  which  took  place 
Feb.  22,  1863,  he  wrote :  "  The  sun  never  shone 
brighter,  and  the  birds  never  sang  sweeter  than 
that  day  as  I  went  home."  He  was  baptized  in  the 
Conococheague  Creek,  Elder  David  Miller  officiat- 
ing. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  know  who,  according 
to  his  own  statement,  outside  of  his  home,  influ- 
enced him  most  during  this  period  of  his  life.  He 
always  placed  Elder  Geo.  McLanahan,  minister  in 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  first  on  the  list.  This 
was  because  he  often  heard  him  preach  and  never 
forgot  his  exhortations  to  live  a  more  godly  life. 
Elder  Christian  Keif er  stands  next  in  the  list.  He 
was  careful  to  shake  hands  with  the  boys,  was  al- 
ways interested  in  their  affairs,  and  thus  stood  high 
in  their  esteem.  Elder  Daniel  P.  Sayler,  whom  he 
remembered  for  his  ability  to  expound  the  Scrip- 
tures, also  influenced  him  greatly  when  young. 

Thus,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  D.  L.  had  defi- 
nitely given  his  life  to  the  Lord,  was  spending  his 
spare  time  in  study  and  in  an  effort  to  advance 
himself,  had  constantly  increased  his  earning  pow- 
ers, and  so  had  laid  a  good  foundation  for  later 
successes. 


CHAPTEK  IV 

A  SCHOOLMASTER 

WOEK  on  farm  and  in  mill  did  not  satisfy 
D.  L.'s  ambitions.  From  the  stolen  mo- 
ments of  reading  at  noon  hours  and  while 
waiting  for  the  barrels  of  flour  to  fill,  he  had  got- 
ten a  taste  of  another  world.  He  occupied  every 
spare  moment  in  reading.  Doubtless  from  this 
habit  grew  the  desire  to  secure  employment  that 
would  be  more  congenial.  The  flame  of  his  ambi- 
tion was  fanned  by  his  friendship  with  Bro.  George 
Hicks,  who  constantly  inspired  him  to  further  ef- 
fort. He  decided  to  prepare  himself  to  teach. 
Whether  this  course  was  suggested  to  him  by  his 
friend  Hicks,  or  whether  it  was  the  natural  out- 
growth of  his  own  studies  and  desires,  is  not 
known.  However  that  may  be,  he  settled  himself 
to  work  in  earnest  by  taking  three  lessons  a  week 
in  reading,  writing  and  grammar  from  Brother 
Hicks,  with  the  definite  intention  of  teaching 
school  when  he  should  be  prepared.  When  he  felt 
sufficiently  proficient  to  take  the  examination,  he 
applied  for  the  home  school  at  Eockdale,  Maryland, 
and  set  off  to  undergo  the  ordeal.  After  screw- 
ing up  his  courage  in  anticipation  of  a  real  test, 
these  were  the  questions  he  was  expected  to  an- 
swer :  31 


32  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

In  grammar,  "  What  is  a  noun?"  In  geogra- 
phy the  staggering  question  was :  "What  is  geogra- 
phy?" He  was  then  given  two  problems  in  mental 
arithmetic,  and  asked  to  write  his  name  and  a  sen- 
tence. After  doing  these  things,  he  received  his 
certificate  and  was  allowed  to  teach. 

There  is  little  record  of  this  first  year  of  school 
work.  He  remembers  that  he  liked  teaching,  had 
good  discipline,  and  decided  to  continue  at  this  oc- 
cupation. He  received  twenty-five  dollars  a  month. 
That  amount  was  deemed  good  wages  in  those 
days,  and  when  one  considers  that  labor  was  paid 
but  thirty-seven  cents  a  day,  a  teacher's  salary 
would  compare  much  better  with  a  laborer's  wages 
at  that  time  than  it  does  today. 

The  following  year,  D.  L.  taught  at  the  Neg- 
ley  schoolhouse,  Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania. 
But  in  this  county,  instead  of  having  a  few  simple 
questions  at  the  examination,  he  was  given  a  real 
test.  However,  he  had  studied  diligently,  and  one 
year  of  teaching  had  grounded  him  thoroughly  in 
the  courses  in  which  he  was  examined,  so  he  was 
able  to  pass  without  difficulty  and  received  his 
certificate.  There  he  was  given  thirty  dollars  a 
month.  D.  M.  Negley,  on  whose  father's  place  the 
school  was  located,  and  where  D.  L.  boarded,  was 
a  pupil  of  D.  L.'s  and  is  authority  for  the  following 
stories  of  that  school  year.  He  says  in  part : 

"As  a  school-teacher  I  liked  him  well.  He  was 
a  very  earnest  and  successful  teacher  and  gave 


A  SCHOOLMASTER  33 

general  satisfaction  in  teaching  our  school.  He 
was  watchful  that  his  students  all  studied  their 
lessons  well  before  reciting,  and  I  believe  that  his 
patient  and  earnest  perseverance  in  this  caused 
scholars  to  get  in  earnest  also,  for  he  kept  them 
all  at  work  during  school  hours.  He  also  had  good 
discipline  in  and  out  of  school  .  .  .  .  D.  L.  spent 
much  of  his  time  in  reading  and  studying — not 
fiction,  but  sound  reading  matter.  He  was  a  good 
debater,  always  ready  to  answer  his  opponent 
with  convincing  arguments.  It  was  common  then 
to  have  debating  societies  one  evening  of  each  week 
at  the  schoolhouses  during  the  winter.  D.  L.  pro- 
posed that  he  and  I  should  rise  in  the  morning  at 
four  o'clock  to  study,  which  we  did  most  of  that 
winter. 

"  D.  L.  was  much  interested  in  spelling  con- 
tests. He  had  us  choose  sides  and  spell  what  he 
termed  '  battle  lessons.'  We  had  our  spelling 
school  one  evening  of  each  week.  Some  of  us  had 
'  Osgood's  Spelling  Book '  about  committed  to 
memory.  D.  L.  was  pleased  with  his  spellers  and 
said  that  he  had  better  spellers  than  the  surround- 
ing schools. 

"  One  teacher,  a  Mr.  Stuart,  who  was  teaching 
the  Marshall  school,  about  six  miles  away,  pro- 
posed a  trial  spelling,  which  was  accepted  by  D.  L. 
Mr.  Stuart  had  heard  of  our  spelling-book  work,  so 
he  preferred  the  dictionary,  which  was  finally 
agreed  upon  for  half  of  the  time,  and  the  spelling 
book  for  the  other  half.  D.  L.  and  some  of  his 
chosen  spellers  met  the  Marshall  spellers  at  their 
own  house,  as  agreed  upon.  The  dictionary  was 
used  first,  but  we  were  victorious  and  did  not  get 
to  try  the  spelling  book  that  evening.  We  had  also 


34  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

studied  the  dictionary  some.  But  Mr.  Stuart  was 
not  satisfied,  and  so  we  had  another  contest  at  a 
halfway  schoolhouse,  where  we  again  had  the  best 
of  the  contest." 

It  was  customary  in  those  days  for  the  teach- 
ers to  treat  the  pupils  at  Christmas.  To  secure 
this  treat,  the  pupils  often  locked  the  teacher  out 
of  school  until  he  was  willing  to  promise  the  cakes 
and  candy.  One  day,  shortly  before  Christmas,  D. 
L.  came  back  to  his  school  at  noon,  to  find  it  se- 
curely closed,  with  all  the  pupils  inside,  demand- 
ing that  he  promise  them  a  treat.  Probably  D. 
L.  had  a  streak  of  stubbornness  in  his  nature,  for 
he  could  not  be  driven,  and  a  closed  schoolhouse 
was  not  a  good  way  to  secure  a  treat  from  him. 
He  went  to  one  of  the  windows  and  pulled  on3  the 
shutter.  He  tried  to  raise  the  window,  but  the 
youngsters  held  it  down.  So,  going  back  a  few 
steps,  he  ran  up,  broke  the  window,  and  jumped  in 
among  the  pupils.  It  scared  the  little  ones  so  that 
they  cried.  To  clench  his  victory,  he  spent  some 
time  in  trying  to  place  the  blame  before  resuming 
his  lessons.  It  may  be  added  that  the  pupils  re- 
ceived an  excellent  treat  at  Christmas  and  that  he 
repaired  the  window  at  his  own  expense. 

After  this  year  of  teaching,  D.  L.  planned  to 
go  to  the  State  Normal  School  at  Millersville, 
Pennsylvania,  better  to  prepare  himself  for  his 
work.  At  this  time,  however,  he  received  a  busi- 
ness offer  which  seemed  so  good  that  he  accepted 


A  SCHOOLMASTER  35 

it,  thus  putting  an  end  to  teaching.  He  went  to 
Philadelphia  to  sell  paint  for  a  firm,  and  was  to  re- 
ceive seventy-five  dollars  a  month.  He  stayed  there 
three  months,  but  received  no  pay,  as  the  firm 
failed ;  then  he  quit  the  work  to  return  home. 

While  in  Philadelphia  he  roomed  and  boarded 
with  a  Mrs.  Talley.  Mrs.  Talley  had  a  daughter. 
D.  L.  was  a  lonesome  country  boy,  in  a  large  city 
for  the  first  time.  There  is  only  one  conclusion  to 
such  a  story.  Of  it  he  writes :  "  There  I  became  ac- 
quainted with  the  companion  of  my  life,  fell  in  love 
at  first  sight,  and  my  aim  in  life  was  changed  for 
the  best.  Then  came  an  ambition  to  become  a  busi- 
ness man,  and  I  did.  It  has  always  seemed  that 
our  meeting  was  providential.  She  has  been  to  me 
a  good  wife,  an  earnest  Christian  woman,  and  a 
helpmeet  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word." 

With  this  definite  ambition  to  make  a  living 
for  another,  D.  L.  gave  up  all  thought  of  further  ed- 
ucation, or  of  making  teaching  his  profession.  One 
can  only  speculate  on  what  might  have  been  the 
outcome  of  his  life  had  he  continued  in  educational 
work.  He  taught  his  last  school  in  1866.  Just  thir- 
teen years  later  he  retired  from  business  and  again 
went  into  educational  lines. 


CHAPTER  V. 

EARLY  MARRIAGE 

EVERYONE  wants  to  know  how  it  happened, 
and  as  my  father  prepared  an  account  of  D. 
L.'s  courtship  a  number  of  years  ago,  I  take 
the  liberty  of  quoting  from  that  paper  as  follows : 

"While  in  Philadelphia,  he  boarded  at  the 
home  of  Mrs.  Talley.  He  was  glad  for  the  home, 
for  he  felt  himself  to  be  a  green  country  youth  and 
much  out  of  place  in  the  city.  He  was  often  dis- 
heartened in  adapting  himself  to  the  new  and  noisy 
life  about  him,  and  the  quiet  of  his  room  was  a 
blessed  haven.  After  several  weeks  in  Philadel- 
phia and  greatly  at  a  loss  to  know  what  next  to 
do,  a  never-to-be-forgotten  Sunday  was  passed.  It 
was  one  of  those  dark  days  that  come  into  every  life 
—the  kind  protruding  itself  just  before  the  dawn- 
ing. He  walked  in  the  park  alone  and  lonely.  His 
reverses  in  business  bore  heavily  upon  him  and  he 
longed  for  his  home  in  Maryland.  Thus  depressed, 
he  returned  to  his  boarding  place  as  evening  drew 
on.  As  he  entered,  he  stopped  and  talked  to  a  serv- 
ant a  few  minutes.  Elizabeth  Talley,  daughter  of 
the  landlady,  chanced  to  pass  by  and  invited  him 
into  the  parlor,  where  a  number  of  young  people 
were  gathered.  While  he  had  seen  her  about  the 
home  and  admired  her  beauty,  culture  and  win- 
someness,  he  was  but  an  uncouth  country  fellow 

37 


38  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

and  in  no  way  thought  of  intruding  his  presence 
upon  any  member  of  the  home  so  kindly  sheltering 
him.  Hence  the  invitation  was  a  great  surprise. 

"  The  group  in  the  parlor  were  all  strangers. 
D.  L.  soon  learned  that  all  were  members  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  As  paired  off  that  even- 
ing, so  later  in  life  each  couple  was  married.  Be- 
sides Miss  Talley  and  D.  L.  there  were  Samuel 
Spanogle  and  Mary  Thomas;  Kobert  Evans  and 
Mary  Supplee ;  Joseph  Snyder  and  Elizabeth  Orr. 
Daniel  accompanied  Miss  Talley  to  church  that 
night,  and  this  was  the  beginning  of  a  friendship 
which  resulted  in  their  union  Feb.  6, 1868." 

After  three  months  in  the  city,  D.  L.  returned 
to  his  home  in  Maryland,  to  spend  the  winter  on  the 
farm.  In  spite  of  the  failure  of  the  firm  for  which 
he  worked  and  the  discouragement  it  had  caused 
him,  he  had  a  new  inspiration  in  life,  for  he  loved  a 
charming  girl  and  meant  to  make  a  home  for  her. 
He  visited  her  at  Christmas  and  again  in  the 
spring.  After  the  visit  in  the  spring  he  went  im- 
mediately to  Polo,  Illinois,  and  soon  started  into 
business  with  Oliver  Hicks. 

He  and  Oliver  Hicks  formed  a  joint  partner- 
ship for  the  sale  of  groceries,  butter  and  eggs.  D. 
L.  borrowed  $750  as  his  share  in  the  business.  Six 
months  later  he  sold  out  his  part  to  Mr.  Hicks' 
brother  for  several  hundred  dollars  more  than  he 
had  put  in.  He  then  set  up  business  for  himself 
and  began  to  deal  in  butter  and  eggs.  He  had  a 
good  trade,  made  a  good  margin,  and  thoroughly 
enjoyed  "  being  his  own  boss." 


EARLY  MARRIAGE  39 

Early  in  1868  he  closed  out  his  butter  and  egg 
enterprise  and  entered  partnership  with  S.  H. 
Shoop.  He  put  $1,200  into  the  firm,  and  was  to 
receive  $50  a  month  and  a  percentage  of  the  profits. 
When  the  business  was  well  started  he  went  East 
to  be  married. 

The  ceremony  was  performed  by  Elder  Jacob 
Spanogle.  After  the  wedding  the  young  couple 
proceeded  to  D.  L.'s  home  in  Maryland.  His  young- 
er sister,  Annie,  who  was  only  a  tiny  child,  can 
still  remember  that  homecoming.  D.  L.  was  her 
favorite  brother,  as  he  always  had  time  to  play 
with  her  when  he  was  home,  and  when  she  was 
tired  of  romping  he  would  hold  her  in  his  arms  and 
sing,  "  Gentle  Annie."  There  was  great  bustle  in 
the  home  on  account  of  the  entrance  of  the  new 
daughter-in-law.  Everything  must  be  just  right 
for  the  city  lady.  Two  sleighs  were  sent  to  the 
State  line  to  meet  them,  and  many  were  the  trips 
the  anxious  mother  made  to  the  window  to  see  if 
they  were  coming.  At  last  they  arrived.  The  new 
daughter  looked  at  her  new  mother  and  then  they 
were  in  each  other's  arms.  Next  came  the  son's 
turn.  His  was  the  first  marriage  in  the  family. 
Only  those  who  have  been  the  first  to  leave  and  re- 
turn to  a  mother's  waiting  arms  can  know  what 
that  means. 

They  spent  some  time  visiting  among  relatives 
and  then  went  to  Polo,  Illinois.  For  six  months 
they  boarded.  After  that  they  began  housekeeping 


40  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

in  two  upstairs  rooms.  Their  outfit  was  very  simple. 
Both  had  received  some  things  from  home.  Aside 
from  buying  a  cookstove,  their  whole  equipment 
cost  seventeen  dollars.  But  they  had  youth  and 
health  and  an  abiding  ambition  to  become  success- 
ful, and  what  more  furniture  would  they  need  to 
produce  happiness? 

So  the  young  bride  performed  her  simple 
household  tasks.  She  was  exceedingly  neat  about 
her  work.  She  still  remembers  with  pride  how  the 
painter  came  one  time,  unexpectedly,  to  paint  the 
woodwork.  She  was  not  at  home.  He  was  sur- 
prised to  find  no  dust  on  top  of  the  molding  of  the 
windows  and  doors.  She  made  her  own  clothes, 
and  many  of  her  husband's,  which  he  wore  proudly. 
She  smiles  when  she  recollects  how  she  tried  to 
make  a  pair  of  trousers,  but  became  hopelessly  in- 
volved in  the  process,  so  that  they  were  finally  left 
with  a  tailor  to  be  finished.  However,  most  of  her 
undertakings  were  more  successful  than  that. 

D.  L.  now  had  a  new  incentive  to  work  and  he 
toiled  harder  than  ever  before.  He  spent  long  days 
at  the  store,  and  came  home  to  saw  wood  and  split 
kindling.  Then  he  would  pass  the  evening  with  his 
wife,  reading  or  studying.  He  remembered  those 
as  being  happy  days.  He  had  at  last  really  started 
on  the  adventure  of  life. 


WHEN  THEY  LIVED  AT  POLO 


CHAPTER  VI 

LIFE  IN  POLO 

ABOUT  a  year  subsequent  to  his  marriage,  or 
Jan.  1, 1869,  D.  L.  formed  a  partnership  in 
the  grain  business  with  George  D.  Ambrose. 
After  two  years  this  venture  proved  a  failure  and 
he  lost  more  than  he  had  put  in  it.  This  failure  was 
in  no  way  his  fault.  Not  crushed  by  what  would 
have  discouraged  many  men,  he  borrowed  money 
and  started  a  grocery  store,  while  still  a  partner  of 
Mr.  Ambrose.  The  latter  conducted  the  grain  busi- 
ness and  D.  L.  the  grocery.  From  the  beginning  the 
grocery  was  a  success.  In  1874  D.  L.  bought  his 
partner's  share  and  continued  for  himself  until 
1879,  when  he  sold  out,  to  move  to  Mount  Morris. 
When  he  sold  he  was  worth  between  $12,000  and 
$15,000 — not  a  small  fortune  to  be  laid  up,  in  those 
days,  during  eight  years  of  business  life. 

For  those  who  have  seen  him  only  as  writer, 
traveler  and  preacher,  it  is  a  little  hard  to  imagine 
D.  L.  Miller  selling  groceries.  But  he  was  a  success- 
ful merchant  and  was  able  to  make  sales  where  his 
clerks  failed.  He  moved  his  stock  a  number  of 
times  until  he  had  a  very  advantageous  location  in 
the  town.  From  the  beginning  he  had  excellent 

41 


42  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

trade.  He  always  sold  guaranteed  goods  and  in 
every  particular  lived  up  to  the  pledge.  His 
measures  were  the  "  heaped  up  and  running  over  " 
kind  which  he  so  often  mentioned  in  his  lectures 
as  having  witnessed  in  Palestine. 

He  went  to  the  store  at  six  in  the  morning  and 
did  not  return  from  work  until  nine  at  night.  Sat- 
urday nights  it  was  eleven.  This  meant  that  all  of 
his  energies  and  time  were  spent  in  the  store.  Dur- 
ing the  eight  years  that  he  ran  it,  he  took  one  vaca- 
tion of  two  weeks  at  his  home  in  Maryland.  He 
loved  the  work  and  did  not  allow  it  to  drive  him. 
Every  evening  his  books  were  posted  and  the  store 
was  set  in  order  for  the  next  day.  Of  his  business 
ability,  Mr.  J.  W.  Clinton,  editor  of  the  Press  in 
Polo  during  D.  L.'s  residence  there,  says : 

"  D.  L.  Miller  had  the  business  sagacity  which, 
if  turned  solely  to  money  making,  might  have  made 
him  a  millionaire  before  his  death,  but,  like  the 
great  Agassiz,  he  had  not  the  time  to  spend  in  sim- 
ple money  making  when  so  many  greater  things 
appealed  to  him  for  his  help." 

The  church  may  well  be  thankful  that  these  tal- 
ents were  turned  toward  the  establishment  of  a 
successful  school  at  Mt.  Morris  and  that  his  ener- 
gies were  spent  in  furthering  the  editorial  and 
missionary  activities  of  the  church. 

From  1874  to  1878  D.  L.  was  editor  of  the  Ar- 
gus, a  paper  published  in  the  interests  of  fancy 
poultry  and  pets.  He  did  the  editorial  work  after 


LIFE  IN  POLO  43 

returning  home  from  the  store.  Mr.  Clinton,  who 
was  his  partner  in  this  venture,  printed  the  paper 
and  D.  L.'s  wife  bound  the  sheets.  This  probably 
was  his  first  literary  work.  His  interest  and  love 
for  pets  and  all  kinds  of  animals  were  very  keen. 
He  raised  fancy  poultry  and  pigeons,  and  was  at 
one  time  judge  at  the  Illinois  State  Fair.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Illinois  Editorial  Association  for 
over  twenty  years.  The  editorial  work  was  con- 
genial, even  if  he  did  have  it  to  do  after  a  weari- 
some day  at  the  store.  While  he  and  Mr.  Clinton 
published  the  Argus  it  was  a  successful  paper. 
Some  of  the  editorials  attracted  attention  in  other 
periodicals.  The  Argus  invariably  stood  for  the 
straight  and  honorable  course  among  poultry  men. 
After  owning  it  several  years,  the  paper  was  sold  at 
a  good  profit. 

In  1871  D.  L.  was  elected  city  clerk  of  Polo  and 
served  for  two  years.  The  holding  of  this  office  was 
an  offense  to  some  of  the  members  of  the  church, 
so  he  dropped  it.  This  is  mentioned  merely  to  show 
that  he  was  respected  and  trusted  by  his  neighbors 
and  fellow-townsmen. 

Whatever  reforms  were  being  agitated  in  Polo 
received  his  support.  Polo  has  an  interesting 
history  on  the  prohibition  movement.  On  this, 
Brother  John  Heckman  wrote  the  following  ac- 
count : 

"  In  February,  1865,  a  fire  broke  out  in  a  sa- 
loon on  the  north,  where  most  of  the  business 


44  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

houses  were  located,  and  all  the  stores  but  one  in 
the  block  were  burned.  This  so  incensed  many  of 
the  citizens  of  the  town  that  a  strong  organization 
grew  up  against  the  saloon  business.  The  W.  C. 
T.  U.  entered  on  a  strong  and  vigorous  campaign 
to  wipe  out  all  saloons  in  the  town.  The  local  pa- 
per of  which  Mr.  J.  W.  Clinton  was  then  editor 
took  a  strong  stand  against  the  saloon  and  the 
liquor  traffic,  while  the  Presbyterian  church,  just 
then  organizing,  laid  down  the  '  Blue  Laws '  for 
their  membership,  driving  from  their  communion 
such  as  were  in  any  way  connected  with  the  nefari- 
ous business  and  such  as  used  liquor  themselves. 
"  These  various  influences,  climaxing  at  about 
the  same  time,  roused  the  people  against  the  sa- 
loons. A  mob  arose  one  night,  early  in  the  summer 
of  1865,  and  rushing  upon  the  saloon  then  on  the 
south  side  of  Main  Street,  actually  tore  the  build- 
ing down,  rolling  the  beer  kegs  and  whiskey  bar- 
rels into  the  street  and  emptying  them  on  the 
ground.  No  open  saloon  has  had  the  gall  to  un- 
dertake to  run  here  since." 

While  this  was  going  on  D.  L.  was  in  Mary- 
land and  did  not  return  to  Polo  for  two  years.  Al- 
though the  first  battle  had  been  won  in  the  prohibi- 
tion fight,  there  remained  the  endurance  test  of 
enforcing  that  victory.  When  the  saloon  question 
came  up  at  the  polls,  D.  L.  always  voted  on  the 
right  side,  although  he  was  criticised  and  called  to 
account  by  some  of  the  leaders  in  the  church.  They 
believed  his  action  was  wrong,  not  because  they 
endorsed  the  saloon,  but  because  some  in  the  church 
were  opposed,  at  that  time,  to  any  of  its  members 


LIFE  IN  POLO  45 

taking  a  part  in  elections.  "  Whatever  he  believed 
was  right  he  was  ready  to  do,  even  if  his  best 
friends  advised  him  against  it "  (John  Heckman). 
Taking  this  action  did  not  hurt  his  trade  in  the 
store,  however,  even  with  the  drinking  men,  for  he 
said  of  this : 

"  Standing  for  prohibition  seemed  to  help  my 
business.  The  Irish  Catholic  men,  most  of  them 
given  to  strong  drink,  about  all  traded  with  me. 
Some  of  them  became  my  warm  personal  friends. 
They  bought  their  merchandise  from  me  as  long  as 
I  was  in  business.  I  did  the  largest  business  of 
any  grocer  in  town." 

Soon  after  moving  to  Polo,  D.  L.  bought  a 
home,  where  he  and  his  wife  settled  down  to  an  or- 
dered life  of  work  and  saving.  He  always  greatly 
loved  his  home  and  spent  many  spare  moments  im- 
proving it.  Years  after  they  left  Polo,  when  a 
picture  of  this  home  was  secured  and  sent  to  him, 
mentioning  the  fact  that  the  same  roses  and  hy- 
drangeas he  had  planted,  were  still  growing,  D. 
L.  wrote  that  the  memories  had  brought  tears  to 
his  eyes. 

His  Christian  life  was  not  at  a  standstill  dur- 
ing these  busy  years,  but  the  growth  was  not 
marked  as  it  was  later.  Concerning  this  period  he 
once  wrote : 

"  These  were  years  of  work.  I  attended  Chris- 
tian services,  but  the  Life  Angel  visits  were  few 
and  far  between.  It  has  often  been  a  question  with 


46  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

ine  how  the  spiritual  life  of  the  church  has  been 
kept  up  with  so  few  services." 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  then  held  its  regu- 
lar services  at  Pine  Creek,  seven  miles  from  Polo. 
Before  he  owned  a  horse  and  buggy  he  often  walked 
there  and  back  in  order  to  worship  with  them. 
Meetings  were  conducted  in  Polo  once  a  month,  but 
that  was  little  enough  to  develop  much  spiritual 
power.  At  that  time  our  church  did  not  have  a 
Sunday-school.  D.  L.  taught  in  the  M.  E.  Sunday- 
school  while  he  lived  in  Polo.  During  the  later 
years  of  his  business  life  there  his  interest  in  re- 
ligious matters  increased.  So  when  the  agitation 
for  a  school  at  Mount  Morris  was  started,  his  mind 
was  open  and  his  heart  ready  to  help.  It  is  only 
fair  further  to  quote  from  Mr.  Clinton,  who  was 
his  close  friend  during  these  years : 

"  Several  years  before  he  sold  his  business  in- 
terests in  Polo,  his  mind  seemed  to  be  given  more 
and  more  to  religious  and  educational  interests. 
.  .  For  several  of  the  later  years  of  his  resi- 
dence in  Polo  we  had  frequent  talks  over  religious 
matters,  and  his  devout  regard  for  all  great  funda- 
mental religious  truth  and  his  broad,  catholic 
mind  impressed  me  more  and  more." 


CHAPTEE  VII 

His  MOTHER 

DL.  MILLEK'S  mother  had  a  very  special 
place  in  his  life,  and,  for  that  matter,  in 
*  the  lives  of  all  her  children.  Whenever 
any  of  them  would  get  together,  their  mother  was 
always  spoken  of  with  love,  reverence,  and  such  a 
respect  as  only  a  very  good  woman  could  inspire. 

She  was  a  kind,  loving  woman,  very  busy  with 
the  cares  of  her  own  family  of  thirteen,  plus  two 
step-children.  Often  there  were  mill  and  farm 
hands  to  cook  for.  All  of  the  buying  and  planning 
and  care  of  the  family  depended  on  her,  and  yet 
she  was  always  ready  to  help  out  a  neighbor.  In 
spite  of  her  many  cares  her  spirit  remained  tran- 
quil through  it  all. 

She  was  a  Christian,  teaching  her  children  to 
say  "  Our  church  "  from  babyhood  and  to  look  to 
the  church  for  aid  and  comfort.  Her  greatest  joy 
came  at  the  time  when,  one  by  one,  they  turned 
their  hearts  to  God. 

D.L.was  her  favorite  son.  Although  he  did  not 
like  the  farm  work,  he  loved  to  help  in  her  garden. 
From  her  he  inherited  his  love  for  flowers.  Often 
he  said  that  a  certain  flower  used  to  grow  in  "  moth- 
er's garden."  Her  death  in  1873  was  a  great  blow. 

47 


48  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

She  had  been  writing  him  a  letter,  full  of  loving 
advice  and  kind  words.  While  thus  engaged,  she 
was  interrupted  by  callers.  Later  she  started  to 
prepare  dinner.  While  doing  this  she  had  a  stroke 
which  left  her  unconscious.  Within  a  few  hours 
she  died. 

About  six  months  before  her  death  she  had 
sent  her  daughter  Annie,  only  nine  years  old,  West 
to  make  her  home  with  D.  L.  The  country  school 
in  Maryland  at  that  time  was  not  suitable  for  the 
young  girl,  so  she  was  put  under  D.  L.'s  guardian- 
ship while  she  attended  the  Polo  school. 

After  his  mother's  death,  a  brother  of  D.  L.'s 
took  the  unfinished  letter,  added  the  details  of  her 
passing,  and  sent  it  on — a  loving  letter,  carrying 
the  bitterest  news.  D.  L.  received  it  in  his  store 
and  read  the  double  message.  Shortly  before  his 
death  he  wrote  of  this : 

"  It  brought  me  such  a  stroke  that  I  have  never 
fully  recovered  from  it.  I  went  home  at  once  to 
carry  the  sad  news  to  my  wife  and  Annie.  I  shall 
never  forget  it  all.  Annie  said :  *  Lizzie,  can  I  live 
with  you  until  I  get  married?'  '  Yes,  of  course,' 
was  the  answer,  and  so  it  came  to  pass.  She  was  a 
daughter  to  us  from  that  day  to  this." 

Many  years  later,  on  his  sixty-second  birth- 
day, he  found  this  last  letter  of  his  mother's  and 
wrote  of  it  as  follows.  It  expresses,  in  some  de- 
gree, his  love  for  his  mother  and  the  place  she  held 
in  his  life : 


HIS  MOTHER 


His  MOTHER  49 

ONLY  AN  OLD  LETTER 

"  Only  an  old  letter,  faded  and  discolored  by 
the  years  that  have  come  and  gone,  since  it  was 
written,  more  than  a  third  of  a  century  ago.  Even 
the  ink  has  paled  and  here  and  there  are  blotches 
where  it  has  run  together,  as  if  little  drops  of  water 
had  fallen  upon  it,  the  tell-tale  marks  of  the  moth- 
er's tears,  eloquent  in  their  silence,  telling  of  a 
mother's  love  for  her  wandering  boy,  tears  which 
fell  from  eyes  closed  in  death,  lo,  these  many  years. 

"  Only  an  old,  tear-stained  letter  with  its  mes- 
sage of  love  from  the  mother  heart,  as  pure  as  the 
breath  of  angels  and  as  unselfish  as  aught  human 
can  be.  I  have  read  it  over  again  and  again  to- 
day, as  I  enter  upon  the  sixty-second  year  of  my 
earthly  pilgrimage,  and  as  I  read,  how  the  memo- 
ries of  the  years  gone  forever  come  thronging  and 
trooping  before  me !  The  dear  old  home,  the  hap- 
py days  of  childhood,  before  dull,  corroding  care 
touched  the  heart  and  seamed  the  face,  when  the 
shadows  flitted  quickly,  and  all  the  joyous  years 
were  full  of  sunshine  and  childish  happiness,  when 
I  laid  my  weary  head  upon  the  '  pillow  made  by 
God  and  cried  when  I  was  taken  from  it  and  cried 
again  when  it  was  taken  from  me,  cried  and  would 
not  be  comforted,'  because  there  had  gone  out  of 
my  life  its  chief  center. 

"  Only  an  old,  yellow,  almost  illegible  letter, 
but  it  brings  the  words  of  a  benediction  from  the 
great  beyond,  from  lips  and  heart  silent  in  death, 
and  with  the  words  comes  a  vision  of  the  last  time 
I  looked  into  the  dear  mother  face.  I  was  leaving 
the  old  home  in  the  East,  with  its  vine-covered 
porch,  the  spring  bubbling  forth  from  the  hillside, 
and  the  old  mill  with  its  moss-covered  wheelhouse, 


50  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

the  home  where  all  my  young  life  had  been  spent, 
to  make  for  myself  a  new  home  in  the  West.  I 
clasped  her  hand  for  the  last  time  and  looked  into 
her  great  brown  eyes,  as  I  had  so  often  done  when 
resting  on  her  lap,  unable  to  fathom  the  depth  of 
love  that  shone  out  from  them,  now  all  filled  with 
overflowing  tears.  I  heard  from  quivering  lips 
and  broken  voice  her  last  words  of  farewell,  com- 
ing as  a  sob  from  the  heart,  l  God  bless  you,  my 
boy,  God  bless  you.'  I  am  an  old  man  now,  '  only 
waiting  till  the  shadows  are  a  little  longer  grown.' 
Silver  hair  has  come  in  the  place  of  the  brown  locks 
of  youth.  I  have  traveled  far  and  wide  over  the 
face  of  the  earth  since  that  parting  day,  and  in  all 
my  wanderings  my  mother's  benediction  has  been 
with  me,  and  today  as  I  write  these  lines,  I  feel  her 
presence  as  the  memory  of  her  dear,  tear-stained 
face  comes  to  me  as  I  saw  it  the  last  time.  The 
mother  is  dead,  but  the  mother  love  lives  on.  It 
can  never  die,  for  it  is  of  God  and  God  himself  is 
love. 

"  Only  an  old,  worn  letter,  bringing  with  it 
sacred  memories  from  a  tomb  of  the  past,  full  of 
a  mother's  hope  for  the  future  of  her  children.  A 
mother  whose  home  was  her  empire  and  whose 
crown  of  glory  was  her  children,  and  the  Lord 
gave  her  a  quiver  full  of  them,  thirteen  in  number. 
Five  are  with  her,  for  the  Lord  took  them  away 
in  their  innocency,  and  eight  still  remain  to  bless 
God  for  the  rich  heritage  of  a  noble,  Christian 
mother's  love.  She  had  her  cares  and  trials  of  pa- 
tience, and  what  mother  does  not  have  these?  She 
was  a  woman  of  no  common  mold  of  character, 
and  she  impressed  her  personality  upon  all  with 
whom  she  came  in  contact.  She  was  a  pious,  de- 


His  MOTHER  51 

vout  Christian,  and  Christ  and  her  church  stood 
first  in  her  heart.  Early  in  life  she  taught  her 
children  to  say  '  Our  church,'  and  if  troubles  came 
to  the  household  of  faith,  they  never  came  to  her 
children's  ears  from  her  lips.  Her  life  was  full  of 
labor  and  toil  for  others,  and  yet  she  found  time 
amid  all  her  family  cares  to  administer  words  of 
comfort  to  those  who  needed  human  sympathy  as 
well  as  more  substantial  aid  to  the  poor. 

"  Only  an  old,  old  letter,  bearing  the  marks 
of  age,  but  full  of  good  counsel,  full  of  love  and 
closing  with  a  mother's  blessing.  I  read  it — and 
what  wonder  if  a  fresh  tear-stain  be  added  to 
those  on  the  old  letter? — and  then  carefully  fold  it 
and  lay  it  away,  as  one  lays  away  a  rich  treasure, 
and  the  desire  in  my  heart  for  the  meeting  on  the 
other  shore  has  grown  all  the  stronger.  And  so  I 
patiently  wait  for  the  lengthening  of  the  shadows, 
for  the  going  down  of  the  sun,  doing  what  I  can 
while  it  is  day,  and  after  a  little  while  will  come  the 
blessed  homegoing,  at  home  with  God  and  with 
the  loved  ones  who  are  watching  and  waiting  on 
the  Golden  Shore." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  MOVE 

IN  the  days  when  D.  L.  Miller  was  a  successful 
grocer,  an  interest  in  education  was  just  be- 
ginning to  grow  active  in  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  A  number  of  efforts  had  been  made  to 
start  schools,  but  many  difficulties,  principally  fi- 
nancial, had  hindered  their  progress.  Juniata 
College,  at  Huntingdon,  Pennsylvania,  had  been 
started  in  1876.  A  number  of  other  attempts  had 
been  made  in  the  East  to  establish  schools.  In  the 
West  nothing  had  been  done.  D.  L.  always  had 
an  active  mind,  and  while  his  own  education  was 
limited,  it  did  not  mean  that  he  was  not  interested 
in  things  educational.  So,  when  he  heard  that  a 
movement  was  on  foot  to  buy  Eock  Eiver  Seminary, 
at  Mount  Morris,  he  was  interested.  And  the  men 
who  were  agitating  the  buying  of  Kock  Eiver  Semi- 
nary for  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  became  in- 
terested in  him.  For  here  was  a  young  man,  with 
some  money,  a  clear  business  head,  active,  sociable, 
already  a  force  in  his  home  town.  Could  he  be 
persuaded  to  become  business  manager  of  the  new 
school? 

M.  S.  Newcomer  and  J.  W.  Stein  were  pro- 
moting the  college  at  Mount  Morris.    M.  S.  New- 

53 


54  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

comer  talked  to  D.  L.  about  it.  D.  L.  was  interested 
but  not  ready  at  first  to  leave  his  store.  He  would 
be  expected  to  put  money  into  the  school  and  the 
returns  on  the  money  were  doubtful.  It  would 
mean  giving  up  his  home  and  the  relations  he  had 
already  established  in  Polo.  His  wife,  inspired  by 
the  love  a  woman  has  for  home  and  the  things  of 
life  that  are  established,  hesitated  about  making 
a  move  that  was  so  uncertain.  At  first  she  said 
"  We  cannot  go."  But  Brother  Newcomer  kept 
writing  to  D.  L.,  and  while  he  said  little  about 
those  letters,  she  felt  that  he  continued  to  be  in- 
terested and  desired  to  do  that  kind  of  work.  Once 
at  the  table  she  asked : 

"  Dear,  do  you  want  to  go  to  Mount  Morris?  " 
And  with  his  honest  eyes  on  her,  he  answered, 
"  Yes." 

It  was  a  bitter  fight  for  her  to  give  up  her 
home  and  friends  and  to  move  into  a  strange  town. 
Mount  Morris,  at  that  time,  was  not  the  beautiful 
little  village  it  is  now.  The  Eock  Eiver  Seminary, 
a  Methodist  institution,  had  failed.  People  had 
moved  from  toAvn.  Many  of  the  houses  were  old 
and  unkept  and  some  were  vacant.  Only  two  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  were  living 
there.  She  and  D.  L.  had  just  arrived  at  that  point 
where  extreme  economy  was  not  necessary.  They 
had  their  horse  and  buggy,  their  own  home,  an  es- 
tablished business,  an  enviable  position  in  the 
town,  and  to  change  was  hard.  But  when  they 


THE  MOVE  55 

were  first  married  she  had  resolved  never  to  hin- 
der him  in  any  good  work  he  might  desire  to  do ; 
so  she  fought  her  battle  and  won.  One  day  she 
said: 

"  Have  you  had  any  more  letters  from  Brother 
Newcomer?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "I  got  one  today." 

"  Does  he  still  want  you  to  come?  " 

"Yes,  he  does." 

"  Then  write  him  you  will  come." 

He  looked  at  her  as  if  he  could  not  believe  it, 
and  then  she  received  her  reward  for  the  surrender 
she  had  made. 

A  number  of  years  before  his  death,  D.  L. 
wrote  that  this  was  the  turning  point  in  his  life. 
"  I  look  back  upon  it  as  divinely  ordered  and  I 
have  never  had  occasion  to  regret  the  move  I  then 
made." 

To  make  it  possible  for  D.  L.  to  leave  Polo, 
Brother  M.  S.  Newcomer  bought  his  store.  In 
turn  D.  L.  purchased  a  one-third  interest  in  the 
school.  Originally  the  school  had  been  acquired 
for  six  thousand  dollars  from  Hon.  E.  E.  Hitt,  one- 
half  being  raised  by  donation  and  given  to  Brother 
J.  W.  Stein,  who  was  made  president  of  the  school ; 
the  other  half  furnished  by  Brother  M.  S.  New- 
comer. After  securing  the  institution  seven  thou- 
sand dollars'  worth  of  improvements  were  put  into 
it.  The  school  was  started  April  1, 1879.  The  fol- 
lowing September  D.  L.  became  connected  with  it, 


56  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

by  buying  a  third  interest  in  it,  becoming  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  trustees,  and  being  elected  sec- 
retary and  business  manager  of  the  institution. 
In  1883,  when  the  Brethren  at  Work  was  in  finan- 
cial straits,  he  withdrew  his  money  from  the  school, 
and  on  the  advice  of  his  associates  put  it  into  that 
paper.  In  1885,  when  a  stock  company  was  finally 
formed,  D.  L.  took  a  sixth  interest  in  the  school  and 
held  it  until  the  institution  was  formally  turned 
over  to  the  church. 

On  the  twentieth  of  August,  1879,  the  school 
opened  for  its  first  complete  year. 

"  Sixty  students  were  present  at  the  opening 
of  the  school,  and  at  the  close  of  the  first  term  108 
had  enrolled.  The  enrollment  for  the  second  term 
was  140.  The  school  succeeded  beyond  the  most 
sanguine  expectation  of  its  promoters  and  friends, 
and  at  the  close  of  the  winter  term  for  the  second 
year  212  students  had  been  enrolled  and  the  school 
was  on  a  sound  paying  basis.  The  fact  that  the 
simple  life  was  insisted  upon  drew  students  from 
many  outside  of  the  church. 

"  Two  successful  years  were  had  and  then  the 
school  suffered  a  serious  loss.  The  president,  J.  W. 
Stein,  was  a  remarkable  man.  He  was  a  fluent, 
polished  speaker,  had  the  power  of  holding  his  au- 
diences spellbound,  was  blessed  with  the  gift  of 
oratory  in  a  marked  degree,  and  his  kindness,  cour- 
tesy, and  geniality  impressed  all  who  came  under 
the  charm  of  his  powerful  influence.  The  students 
loved  him  as  a  father  and  the  faculty  as  an  elder 
brother.  In  1881  he  left  Mount  Morris,  ostensibly 
for  a  tour  of  the  Holy  Land,  and  did  not  return. 


THE  MOVE  57 

Those  who  knew  him  passed  no  harsh  judgment  on 
the  irretrievable  mistake  he  made.  Three  years 
ago  he  died  in  Canada.  Thus  ended  a  life  of  bril- 
liant promise. 

"  The  desertion  of  the  institution  by  Presi- 
dent Stein,  and  its  unfortunate  cause,  was  a  hard 
blow  on  the  infant  school.  The  block  of  ground 
west  of  the  college  campus  had  been  purchased,  a 
new  college  building  planned,  a  farm  of  160  acres 
was  being  negotiated  for,  and  the  prospects  for 
the  success  of  the  school  were  never  brighter.  Then 
came  the  blow  as  a  clap  of  thunder  from  a  clear 
sky.  And  discouragements  came  not  singly.  At 
that  time,  at  a  conference  of  the  Northern  District 
of  Illinois,  all  the  elders  save  one,  Elder  J.  H. 
Moore,  advised  Brethren  Newcomer  and  Miller  to 
close  the  school.  Under  these  most  depressing  in- 
fluences, the  entire  burden  resting  on  the  two  men, 
the  building  project  was  abandoned,  the  negotia- 
tions for  the  farm  ended,  and  the  block  of  ground, 
now  built  over  with  substantial  residences,  was  al- 
lowed to  revert  to  the  original  owners." — D.  L. 
Miller,  in  "  Memories  of  Old  Sandstone." 

After  the  discovery  of  the  desertion  of  J.  W. 
Stein,  D.  L.  was  physically  sick  for  a  week  and  the 
wound  to  his  spirit  was  great.  He  felt  that  he  did 
not  know  whom  to  trust,  for  it  was  in  J.W.  Stein's 
living  room  that  were  first  started  the  prayer  meet- 
ings where  D.  L.  had  received  so  much  spiritual 
uplift.  His  nature  was  not  one  to  doubt  the  sin- 
cerity of  another,  for  he  loved  and  honored  his 
friends  greatly.  Brother  Quinter,  to  whom  he 
confided  this  trouble,  gave  him  some  wise  advice. 


58  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

"  Brother  Miller,"  he  said,  "  I  know  it  is  a 
sad  experience  to  go  through.  But  think  of  the 
men  who  have  not  deceived." 

This  advice  helped  and  in  time  the  wound  was 
healed,  but  the  scar  remained. 

D.  L.'s  love  for  his  friend  never  faltered. 
Years  afterwards  he  sought  him  out  in  his  retire- 
ment to  visit  him.  He  loved  his  friends  in  spite  of 
faults  and  mistakes. 

In  the  spring  of  1881,  when  J.  W.  Stein  left 
the  school,  D.  L.  was  elected  to  fill  his  place  as 
president  for  the  rest  of  that  school  year.  Keluc- 
tantly  he  accepted  this  position,  for  keenly  he  felt 
his  lack  of  education  for  this  kind  of  work.  "  Never- 
theless during  the  few  months  that  he  first  served 
in  that  capacity,  he  won  the  highest  respect  from 
both  students  and  faculty,  and  when  the  trustees 
wanted  a  president  for  the  ensuing  year,  they 
naturally  turned  to  him  as  the  one  best  suited  for 
the  place.  He  was  persuaded  to  accept  the  office 
for  two  years."  At  the  end  of  the  first  year  he  de- 
cided to  take  a  trip  to  Europe,  and  so  S.  Z.  Sharp, 
vice-president,  took  his  place  until  1884,  when 
Brother  J.  G.  Royer  was  made  president. 

Many  changes,  more  than  those  of  mere  oc- 
cupation, had  come  into  the  lives  of  D.  L.  and  his 
wife  since  Polo  days.  From  their  cosy  home  in 
Polo  they  moved  into  "  Old  Sandstone  "  at  Mount 
Morris.  Here,  with  the  boy  students,  they  made 
their  home  for  nearly  five  years.  Their  rooms 


THE  MOVE  59 

were  on  the  southwest  end  of  the  second  story. 
First  came  the  office  and  then  the  living  rooms 
back  of  that.  Here  D.  L.  took  care  of  the  school 
business,  interviewed  students,  and  generally 
supervised  the  discipline  in  the  building. 

The  students  in  particular  were  Ms  friends. 
He  went  to  the  train  to  meet  them  when  they  first 
came  to  town.  He  showed  them  their  rooms  and 
helped  to  get  them  settled.  He  gave  them  counsel 
when  they  needed  advice  and  corrected  them  'when 
admonition  was  necessary.  Always  he  was  their 
friend.  Brother  Grant  Mahan  still  remembers 
those  days  and  wrote  some  of  Ms  recollections  of 
that  time: 

"  I  shall  never  forget  how  I  first  met  Mm  and 
how  he  became  my  friend  right  from  the  start, 
trusting  me  in  a  way  that  surprised  me  then  and 
still  does  when  I  think  about  it. 

"  He  knew  when  to  speak  to  the  boys  and  what 
to  say  to  them.  In  writing  about  these  things  one 
must  necessarily  write  about  himself,  for  Brother 
Miller  was  not  given  to  telling  one  boy  what  he 
said  to  another.  And  one  lesson  he  gave  three  of 
us  boys  because  of  what  we  did  in  the  dining-room 
has  remained  with  me.  It  was  holiday  time  and  we 
were  full  of  fun,  though  we  did  nothing  more  than 
mischief.  But  he  did  not  reprimand  us  before  the 
roomful  of  other  boys  and  girls.  He  waited  until 
he  saw  the  three  of  us  together  outside,  and  then 
came  up  to  talk  to  us.  Even  then  he  did  not  repri- 
mand us,  but  simply  asked  us  whether  we  thought 
we  had  acted  as  we  should.  That  got  us  all  in  a 
way  that  nothing  else  could,  and  it  helped  us  more 


60  LITE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

than  a  dozen  lectures  and  reprimands  would  have. 

"At  another  time  a  young  man  came  into  the 
boys'  building  with  a  sackful  of  apples.  I  asked 
him  for  one  and  he  refused  to  give  it  to  me ;  so  I 
proceeded  to  take  him  down  and  get  the  apple. 
Brother  Miller  came  up  the  steps  two  at  a  time. 
He  had  been  in  a  recitation  room  just  beneath, 
studying  German,  preparatory  to  his  first  trip 
across  the  water.  He  asked  what  the  trouble  was, 
and  I  told  him.  He  turned  around  and  went  back 
down  the  stairs  without  saying  a  word.  At  a  later 
time,  in  talking  with  me  about  it,  he  said :  '  It  was 
exactly  what  I  would  have  done  when  a  boy,  and  I 
could  say  nothing  to  you  boys.'  That  was  the 
great  secret  of  his  success,  and  is  the  reason  why 
we  all  loved  him  and  tried  to  please  him.  He  never 
forgot  that  he  had  been  a  boy  and  had  done  the 
things  that  boys  are  so  prone  to  do.  He  rarely 
argued  with  a  boy  when  he  was  just  from  his  mis- 
chief, but  gave  him  time  to  think  it  over  and  cool 
off.  Something  flagrantly  wrong  he  stopped  at 
once. 

"  Many  incidents  crowd  into  my  mind,  but  I 
shall  tell  but  one  more,  and  that  about  another 
boy.  The  boy  himself  told  me,  and  while  he  was 
telling  it  the  tears  streamed  down  his  face.  He 
was  a  boy  Avho  had  not  had  the  best  of  home  train- 
ing, and  he  had  fallen  into  evil  ways ;  had  acquired 
the  habit  of  drink.  One  day  he  went  down  to  the 
neighboring  town  of  Oregon  to  get  drink,  for  even 
in  those  early  days  Mount  Morris  was  dry  nearly 
all  the  time.  As  he  came  across  the  stile  into  the 
campus,  coming  home,  he  met  Brother  Miller.  The 
boy  was  so  drunk  that  he  could  not  walk  straight. 
But  Brother  Miller  did  not  stop  him.  He  greeted 


THE  MOVE  61 

Mm  kindly  and  went  on  to  town  and  the  boy  went 
to  his  room.  But  a  few  days  later  he  asked  the 
boy  to  come  to  his  office,  as  he  wanted  to  talk  with 
him.  And  there  was  wonderful  love  and  pity  shown 
in  that  talk.  He  showed  which  way  the  road  was 
leading ;  urged  the  boy  to  stop  and  turn  back  before 
it  was  too  late.  In  telling  of  it  the  boy  said  to  me, 
'  He  treated  me  as  if  I  were  a  man  and  not  a  crim- 
inal, and  because  of  what  he  said  and  the  way  he 
said  it,  I  am  going  to  be  a  man.'  Could  anyone  have 
acted  more  in  the  spirit  and  manner  of  the  Mas- 
ter when  dealing  with  one  who  had  been  overtaken 
in  a  fault?  That  was  his  way  of  dealing  with  us 
and  he  helped  us  over  many  a  hard  place. 

"And  whether  it  was  one  boy  or  a  few  boys  or 
all  the  boys,  he  talked  to  them  in  the  same  way.  He 
appealed  to  what  was  best  in  them,  and  they  re- 
sponded much  better  than  they  would  have  to  the 
man  who  would  have  taken  a  different  and  harsh- 
er method  of  correction.  He  was  kind  to  us,  but  we 
always  knew  that  he  did  not  condone  serious  of- 
fenses; there  was  never  any  compromise  with 
wrong.  He  was  the  warm  friend  of  the  young  all 
his  life,  and  more  than  one  young  man  and  young 
woman  owes  much  to  his  inspiration  and  help. 
Some  of  us  are  no  longer  young,  but  we  still  cherish 
his  memory  and  are  thankful  that  he  came  into  our 
lives  when  he  did." 

Another  change  which  was  made  by  the  move 
was  dropping  his  study  of  a  cashbook  and  poultry 
papers  and  taking  up  that  of  Latin,  German  and 
other  subjects.  He  actually  entered  the  classes 
of  the  school,  for  of  his  lack  of  education  he  had 


62  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

always  been  very  sensitive.  Here  he  rapidly  ac- 
quired much  formal  training. 

From  the  occasional  church  services  at  Pine 
Creek  and  his  work  in  the  Methodist  Sunday- 
school,  he  was  plunged  at  once  into  a  more  fervent 
religious  atmosphere.  At  Mount  Morris  he  helped 
to  start  one  of  the  first  Sunday-schools  in  Northern 
Illinois.  He  was  teacher  of  a  young  men's  class. 
Hard  labor  was  put  upon  those  Sunday-school  les- 
sons, and  often  he  felt  that  he  was  making  a  fail- 
ure of  his  work ;  but  he  built  better  than  he  knew, 
for  five  prominent  bishops  came  from  that  class. 
He  had  no  lesson  helps,  using  only  the  Bible  in 
preparation.  His  lessons  were  studied  very  thor- 
oughly, and  questions  were  written  out  with  great 
care  and  precision.  As  one  member  of  that  class 
said,  D.  L.  was  not  an  enthusiastic  teacher,  but  the 
boys  attended  regularly  because  they  loved  him, 
and  in  later  years  they  realized  that  the  lessons  he 
had  taught  them  had  made  a  deeper  impression 
than  they  knew. 

His  activities  in  Mount  Morris  reached  be- 
yond the  borders  of  the  school.  Brother  John 
Heckman  recollects  how  active  he  was  on  the  tem- 
perance question  in  Mount  Morris : 

"Some  years  later,  in  the  spring  of  1883,  the 
matter  of  the  open  saloon  in  Mount  Morris  came  up 
for  vote.  I  was  there  and  I  remember  quite  well 
how  active  D.  L.  was  that  every  voter  go  to  the 
polls  and  cast  his  vote  against  having  an  open  sa- 
loon in  Mount  Morris.  It  was  voted  down  at  that 


THE  MOVE  63 

time  and  there  has  been  no  saloon  since.  All  the 
students  eligible  were  strongly  urged  to  vote. 
Many  votes  were  challenged.  D.  L.  certified  to  a 
number  of  men  as  to  their  eligibility.  At  a  time 
when  those  things  were  not  as  clear  as  they  have 
become  since,  D.  L.  had  a  clear  vision  and  always 
advised  the  right  things  to  do  when  others  hes- 
itated." 

He  likewise  was  chairman  of  the  faculty  and 
helped  to  smooth  the  irritations  which  arose  there. 
Once,  while  he  was  in  Pennsylvania,  the  faculty 
became  hopelessly  divided:  D.  L.  was  sent  for  to 
settle  the  difficulty,  and  it  was  not  long  after  he 
arrived  that  the  trouble  was  smoothed  out  and  the 
school  in  running  order  again. 

"While  Brother  Miller  will  be  remembered 
as  one  of  the  main  founders  of  the  college,  it  is  as 
a  trustee  for  a  generation  that  he  has  given  full 
proof  of  his  fitness  as  an  official  of  the  school,  and 
has  done  the  most  substantial  work  for  it.  His 
knowledge  of  the  church  and  her  needs,  his  exten- 
sive travels,  his  experience  as  a  preacher  and  writ- 
er, have  given  him  an  appreciation  of  the  value  of 
Christian  education  to  the  church,  and  this  has 
kept  him  a  staunch  friend  and  supporter  of  the  col- 
lege, even  when  the  school  policy  in  some  details 
did  not  harmonize  with  his  personal  views.  No 
movement  for  a  larger  Mount  Morris  College  has 
been  made  in  these  years  in  which  he  is  not  repre- 
sented as  one  of  the  most  liberal  donors ;  a  fact  that 
shows  how  in  some  men  self  may  be  lost  in  a  great 
cause,  or  an  institution,  which  necessarily  cannot 
reflect  any  individual,  but  must  represent  the  com- 
munity."— "  Memories  of  Old  Sandstone." 


RIVER  EDER  NEAR  SCHWARZENAU 


CHAPTER  IX 

FIRST  TRIP  ABROAD 

AFTEK  much  serious  and  prayerful  reflection, 
and  a  long  discussion  of  the  matter,  we  de- 
termined, by  the  blessing  of  our  Heavenly 
Father,   to  visit  some  parts  of  the  Old 
World.    In  this  we  have  been  actuated  by  a  desire 
to  carry  out  a  resolve  to  visit  the  Vaterland,  and 
to  become  better  acquainted  with  the  language,  and 
the  country  from  which  our  church  emigrated  near- 
ly two  centuries  ago.    .    .    .    We  also  have  a  strong 
desire  to  visit  the  field  of  our  dear  Brother  Hope's 
labors  and,  if  possible,  to  say  an  encouraging  word 
to  him." 

Thus  simply  is  the  motive  for  D.  L.'s  first  trip 
abroad  given  in  the  opening  chapter  of  "  Europe 
and  Bible  Lands."  In  the  eighties  a  trip  abroad 
was  no  ordinary  adventure.  Especially  in  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  had  few  members  under- 
taken such  a  trip.  Brother  Christian  Hope  had 
been  sent  to  Denmark  in  1876  by  the  District  of 
Northern  Illinois.  The  following  year  Brethren 
Enoch  Eby  and  Daniel  Fry  had  visited  Denmark 
and  spent  some  time  working  in  the  mission.  But 
that  had  happened  six  years  before,  when  D.  L. 
was  an  earnest  grocer,  with  mind  occupied  in  mak- 

65 


66  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

ing  a  fortune.  The  move  to  Mount  Morris  and  the 
work  in  the  school  had  opened  his  mind  to  many 
things.  He  had  passed  through  a  complete  change 
of  heart  and  purpose.  The  energies  which  had 
once  been  spent  in  making  a  successful  grocer 
had  been  diverted  into  work  for  the  school  and 
church.  Association  with  schoolmen  brought 
about  a  knowledge  of  his  own  ignorance.  He  imme- 
diately sought  to  remedy  that  by  earnest  study. 
He  desired  to  learn  more  German,  the  better  to  in- 
form himself  on  the  early  history  of  the  church,  for 
all  of  the  early  church  literature  was  in  that  lan- 
guage. 

It  so  happened  that  at  this  time  two  of  the 
professors  in  the  school  had  decided  to  go  to  Ger- 
many, to  complete  their  education.  When  Profes 
sors  Jenks  and  Burnett  talked  of  the  trip,  D.  L.'s 
desire  was  increased,  and  with  the  prospect  of  such 
congenial  company  he  and  his  wife  decided  to  go. 
It  was  one  of  the  most  important  decisions  of  his 
life  and  probably  changed  his  entire  future.  At 
the  age  of  seventy-eight,  when  he  could  look  back 
over  an  almost  completed  life,  he  wrote  of  his 
journeys :  "  My  journeys  to  Palestine,  six  in  num 
ber,  had  a  wonderful  influence  on  my  life.  They 
entirely  changed  my  purpose  in  life.  As  I  look 
back  on  it  all  and  sum  it  all  up,  I  must  say  that  my 
travels  are  largely  accountable  for  what  I  have 
done  and  accomplished  in  my  life." 

Thus,  with  the  prospect  of  congenial  company. 


FIRST  TRIP  ABROAD  67 

and  the  strong  desire  better  to  inform  himself  on 
church  history,  as  well  as  to  visit  the  Danish  Mis- 
sion, the  decision  was  made,  and  preparations  were 
begun  for  the  trip.  It  meant  leaving  their  home, 
breaking  up  the  habits,  so  pleasantly  formed  in 
the  church  and  school,  and  starting  out  into,  per- 
haps, an  unkind  world — certainly  one  that  was 
wholly  strange.  But  with  the  courage  that  had 
carried  him  from  the  home  of  his  youth,  through 
financial  failure  into  success,  and  had  again  made 
it  possible  for  him  to  give  up  further  material 
fortune,  in  order  to  turn  his  energies  toward  edu- 
cation in  the  church,  he  now  relinquished  his  work 
in  the  school  and  faced  this  new  adventure  with  a 
full  knowledge  of  its  possibilities,  both  good  and 
bad. 

July  23,  1883,  they  left  Mount  Morris  to  start 
on  their  long  journey,  stopping  briefly  in  Maryland 
to  visit  the  old  home,  then  continuing  to  New  York, 
where,  Aug.  22,  they  embarked  on  the  Werra. 

This  is  not  intended  to  be  more  than  a  brief 
account  of  the  trip,  for  the  details  can  be  read  at 
first  hand  in  "  Europe  and  Bible  Lands."  The 
main  purpose  here  is  to  show  the  kind  of  things 
in  which  D.  L.  was  interested  on  that  trip,  and  the 
way  they  aif  ected  him. 

The  monotony  of  the  voyage  was  interrupted 
by  seasickness  and  a  storm.  Neither,  apparently, 
damped  the  ardor  of  the  little  party.  D.  L.  accept- 
ed both  experiences  as  something  of  interest,  if  not 


68  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

entirely  pleasant.  The  sight  of  the  storm  was  not 
only  of  scenic  interest  to  him,  as  we  find  him  faith- 
fully recording  in  the  following  paragraph : 

"As  we  sat  upon  the  hurricane  deck,  protected 
by  our  waterproof  wrappings  from  the  spray,  and 
watched  the  contending  elements,  we  thought  how 
insignficant  is  man !  How  small  a  space  does  he  fill 
in  God's  universe !  How  weak  and  powerless  he  is, 
when  compared  with  him  who  holds  in  his  hands 
the  storm  and  the  sea !  And  yet,  how  important  he 
sometimes  becomes,  assuming  to  himself  great  pow- 
er and  authority !  A  moment's  experience  of  this 
kind  ought  to  teach  a  lesson  of  true  humility,  never 
to  be  forgotten." 

They  arrived  safely  at  Bremerhaven,  Ger- 
many, Aug.  31,  and  disembarked  the  next  day,  to 
continue  their  journey  to  the  university  at  Halle. 

With  brief  stops  at  Hanover  and  Berlin,  thej7 
finally  settled  in  Dresden  for  a  few  weeks  of  study 
before  going  to  Halle.  They  were  in  a  land  of 
strange  customs  and  an  older  civilization,  and  D. 
L.  was  quick  to  note  the  difference  in  the  customs, 
and  to  compare  them  with  those  at  home.  How- 
ever, he  was  not  carried  away  by  this  change,  but 
was  able  to  make  sane  comparisons.  Farms  in 
Germany  are  small  and  intensely  cultivated.  We 
have  often  heard  American  methods  criticised  for 
not  imitating  more  closely  the  customs  of  the  Old 
World.  D.  L.  was  observing  but  not  critical,  as  we 
find  in  the  following  paragraph : 

"  The  land  seems  to  be  very  productive,  and  is 


FIRST  TRIP  ABROAD  69 

very  carefully  tilled.  The  idea  here  seems  to  be, 
how  little  and  how  well;  whilst  with  us  all  are 
anxious  to  see  how  much  can  be  done  without  so 
much  anxiety  as  to  how  well  it  is  done.  I  am  well 
satisfied  that  if  the  rich  lands  of  America  were  as 
well  cultivated,  and  their  resources  as  carefully 
husbanded  as  are  the  garden  lands  of  Germany, 
there  would  be  a  twofold  increase  in  the  annual 
production.  In  the  years  to  come,  when  the  Mis- 
sissippi Valley  alone  will  contain  forty  million 
people,  then  this  method  of  gardening  will  be  a  ne- 
cessity. For  the  present,  however,  we  prefer  the 
American  plan,  with  its  enterprise,  push,  and  in- 
dustry, and  the  grand  results,  in  the  aggregate,  ac- 
complished by  our  farmers  at  home." 

The  wonders  of  Berlin  were  duly  visited — the 
palaces,  the  art  galleries,  a  great  Jewish  synagogue, 
and  "  Unter  den  Linden."  Here  his  chief  interest 
was  in  the  relics  of  Egypt.  He  gloried  in  the  fact 
that  such  material  proofs  of  the  truth  of  the  Bible 
were  in  existence.  That  seemed  to  be  one  of  the 
main  themes  during  all  of  his  travels — seeking  out 
proofs  of  the  truth  of  that  great  Book  which  he 
loved  and  read  so  constantly. 

He  compared  the  wealth  of  the  kings  and 
princes  of  Germany,  as  represented  by  jewels  and 
treasures  of  art,  with  the  condition  of  the  poor 
women  who  labored  in  the  fields,  who  were  hitched 
to  carts  with  dogs,  and  who  could  look  forward  to 
no  relief  from  their  poverty,  no  matter  how  hard 
they  worked.  The  inequality  which  arises  from  a 
wealty  nobility  and  a  poverty-stricken  peasantry 


70  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

was  quickly  noted  by  his  observant  American  eyes, 
accustomed  as  they  were  to  a  democratic  country, 
where  every  one  has  a  chance  to  better  his  condi- 
tion. 

At  a  great  festival,  held  for  the  celebration  of 
Luther's  birth,  he  saw  more  than  the  mere  honor 
done  to  a  great  man,  for  behind  it  all  lurked  the 
sinister  efforts  of  Bismarck  to  unite  Germany  in- 
to a  world  power.  It  was  the  desire  to  have  a 
common  religion  in  the  German  states,  and  the 
Luther  "  Fest  "  was  being  used  to  this  end.  D.  L. 
notes  this  in  one  of  his  letters  in  "  Europe  and 
Bible  Lands  "  thus : 

"The  Luther  '  Fest '  will,  without  doubt,  give 
this  movement  [the  unification  of  Germany]  a 
strong  impetus,  and  Bismarck's  policy  for  the  uni- 
fication of  Germany  will  be  greatly  strengthened. 
It  is  not,  however,  in  the  direction  of  higher  spirit- 
uality, but  rather  towards  hero  worship,  and  the 
earthly  glory  of  the  German  Confederation." 

He  as  well  as  his  wife,  made  rapid  progress  in 
the  study  of  German.  At  Dresden,  and  later  in 
Halle,  they  lived  with  German  families.  In  Halle, 
where  they  spent  most  of  the  winter,  there  were 
only  three  Americans  in  the  city  besides  them- 
selves. This  little  group  met  on  Saturday  even- 
ings to  read  a  chapter  in  the  Bible  and  discuss  it. 
At  this  meeting,  only,  did  they  speak  English.  The 
rest  of  the  week  they  were  "  under  penalty  to 
speak  only  German,  and  the  result  is,  that  our 
conversation  is  somewhat  limited."  The  conver- 


FIRST  TRIP  ABROAD  71 

sation  may  have  been  limited  at  first,  but  later  D.L. 
became  fluent  in  the  language,  both  in  reading  and 
in  speaking.  I  can  remember  the  delight  I  had, 
when  only  a  child,  in  listening  to  him  read  Br'er 
Babbit  stories  in  German,  and  then  translating 
them  into  English,  so  that  I  could  understand 
them.  I  loved  the  roll  of  the  German  words,  and  it 
seemed  a  most  wonderful  performance  that  he 
could  change  those  meaningless  sounds  into  under- 
standable English. 

At  Halle  he  was  admitted  to  the  university  on 
the  ground  that  he  was  a  trustee  of  a  college  in 
America.  There  he  studied  political  economy  and 
church  history.  The  names  of  American  students 
were  engraved  on  brass  plates  and  mounted  on  the 
walls.  There  his  name  was  placed  with  those  of 
other  American  students.  The  life  of  study  was 
pleasantly  interrupted  by  a  visit  to  Prague,  the 
home  of  John  Huss,  and  various  trips  to  scenes  of 
interest  about  Halle. 

Dec.  24  they  left  Halle  for  Denmark,  to  see 
Brother  Hope  and  the  mission.  This  was  their 
first  visit  to  one  of  the  church  missions.  Many 
more  visits  followed,  which  resulted  in  a  stimula- 
tion of  mission  work  in  the  church,  which  can  never 
be  fully  estimated. 

The  trip  to  Denmark  gave  D.  L.  a  view  of 
missions  at  first  hand,  and  doubtless  increased  his 
enthusiasm  in  that  line  of  church  endeavor.  There 
he  saw  the  fight  the  little  churches  were  making 


72  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

against  enforced  military  training  and  a  govern- 
ment hostile  to  any  but  the  State  Church.  He 
found  Brother  Hope  fervent  and  enthusiastic  in 
the  work  in  spite  of  a  sick  wife  and  inadequate 
support.  He  discovered  little  groups  of  members, 
earnest  and  faithful,  fighting  a  real  fight  for  their 
principles.  He  beheld  them  so  anxious  for  a 
church  service  that  they  would  walk  from  five  to 
ten  miles  to  meeting  and  think  nothing  of  it.  He 
and  his  wife  learned  by  experience  what  that 
meant,  for  he,  with  Brother  Hope,  walked  five 
miles  to  one  of  the  churches  through  a  snowstorm. 
He  saw  a  baptismal  scene,  at  midnight,  afar  in 
the  ocean,  with  only  those  present  who  could  row 
out  in  a  small  boat.  The  laws  were  so  stringent  in 
Denmark  that  the  waters  about  the  country  could 
not  be  used  for  baptizing,  so  the  little  group  rented 
a  boat  at  a  bathing  beach  and  rowed  out,  apparent- 
ly to  bathe,  but  really  for  a  very  solemn  ceremony. 
Certainly  these  scenes  and  experiences,  so  dif- 
ferent from  those  at  home,  gave  him  a  broader  vis- 
ion and  a  new  enthusiasm  in  the  work  and  mis- 
sions of  the  church. 

After  a  three  weeks'  visit  in  Denmark,  D.  L. 
and  his  wife  returned  to  Halle  for  another  month 
of  study  before  going  to  Palestine. 


CHRISTIAN  HOPE 


CHAPTER  X 

PALESTINE 

WHEN  the  trip  to  Europe  was  first  planned 
it  had  not  included  a  visit  to  the  lands  of 
the  Bible.    But  after  D.  L.  and  his  wife 
had  been  in  Halle  for  some  time,  they  decided  to 
continue  their  journey  to  Palestine.  He  tells,  in  the 
opening  of  Letter  Ten  in   "  Europe   and  Bible 
Lands,"  of  his  strong  desire  to  visit  this  country : 

,  "After  some  delay  we  have  arranged  to  go 
down  to  the  lands  of  the  Bible,  and  as  we  start  on 
this  long  and  somewhat  dangerous  journey,  we 
naturally  ask  ourselves  the  question,  What  is  the 
object  of  making  .  .  .  this  journey?  Is  it  only 
the  desire  to  visit  the  noted  places  in  Palestine  to 
gratify  an  idle  curiosity?  We  hope  not.  No  doubt 
the  most  of  our  readers  have  had  at  times  a  strong 
desire  to  visit  the  scenes  of  the  life,  the  sufferings, 
and  the  death  of  the  Redeemer  of  mankind. 

"...  It  was  the  dream  of  our  youth,  and 
in  later  years,  we  have  often  looked  forward  to  the 
time,  when,  under  the  blessing  of  our  Heavenly 
Father,  we  might  undertake  the  journey,  and  visit 
the  land,  which  above  all  others  must  always  Me  of 
the  most  absorbing  interest  to  Christians.  .  f  . 

"  Secondarily,  the  trip  was  undertaken  to 
write  a  series  of  letters  for  the  Gospel  Messenger." 

That  it  was  not  entirely  a  pleasure  trip  is 
evidenced  by  the  fact  that  he  studied  eight  differ- 

73 


74  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

ent  books  on  Palestine,  using  them  constantly  as 
he  traveled  from  place  to  place,  comparing  the 
facts  and  measurements  in  them  with  the  real  ob- 
jects of  interest.  He  did  not  go  to  visit  Palestine 
but  to  study  Palestine. 

They  left  Halle  Feb.  18, 1884,  to  travel  south- 
ward by  way  of  Munich,  Venice  and  Trieste,  and 
from  there  by  boat  to  Athens.  In  that  historic 
city  they  spent  a  week  among  its  ruins,  and  for  the 
first  time  really  getting  near  the  scenes  of  the  Bi- 
ble. D.  L.  was  deeply  impressed  by  this  visit.  He 
went  about  alone  with  his  Bible  in  hand  and  re- 
imaged  the  scenes  which  had  taken  place  there  so 
many  centuries  before.  He  tells  how  vividly  all 
this  impressed  him  in  one  of  his  letters  home : 

"  Today,  March  4,  we  spent  some  time  on  the 
hill  alone.  Never  before  have  we  read  with  so 
much  interest  the  seventeenth  chapter  of  Acts, 
giving  a  record  of  Paul's  preaching  in  Athens,  as 
we  read  it  today  on  Mars'  Hill,  where  we  are  now 
writing,  using  a  stone  for  a  desk.  To  stand  here, 
on  the  very  ground  where  he  stood,  on  this  solid 
granite  hill  which,  with  the  lapse  of  nineteen  cen- 
turies that  have  passed  over  it,  has  not  materially 
changed,  since  the  great  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles 
proclaimed  the  Gospel  to  the  idolatrous  city  from 
its  midst,  is  to  gain  a  new  and  strangely  vivid  in- 
terest in  the  man,  and  in  the  words  he  uttered.  Of 
course,  we  always  had  an  interest  in  the  words,  but 
the  scene  was  far  away,  both  in  time  and  in  space, 
and  it  never  impressed  us  as  it  does  now  as  we  are 
brought  face  to  face  with  the  very  spot  where  it  was 


PALESTINE  75 

enacted.  Then,  too,  surrounded  on  every  hand  by 
the  ruins  of  the  old  idolatrous  worship,  and  know- 
ing fully  the  conditions  that  existed,  one  is  pre- 
pared to  appreciate  fully  the  boldness,  the  force, 
and  the  appropriate  fitness  of  his  words  to  the  men 
of  Athens." 

This  is  not  a  description  of  the  places  he  saw 
on  that  trip.  But  his  letters  are  still  freshly  in- 
teresting to  anyone  who  wishes  to  have  those  ad- 
ventures with  him  at  first  hand.  For  the  farmer, 
grocer,  schoolman,  lately  from  the  small  towns  of 
northern  Illinois,  this  trip  was  certainly  a  broad- 
ening experience,  and  each  strange  city  meant  a 
new  adventure,  a  broader  outlook  and  a  deeper 
inspiration. 

They  left  Athens  by  boat  for  Smyrna,  where 
they  spent  two  days,  making  a  trip  to  Ephesus, 
where  was  located  one  of  the  seven  churches  of 
Asia.  Apparently  the  short  stay  here  did  not  sat- 
isfy him,  for  later  he  revisited  the  place  and  wrote 
an  entire  book  on  these  churches.  Their  journey 
continued  uneventfully  to  Jaffa,  the  nearest  port 
to  Jerusalem.  Here  they  had  to  make  the  treach- 
erous landing  in  little  boats,  through  the  surf  and 
between  the  rocks.  His  wife  said  she  thought  she 
would  never  live  to  get  to  shore,  when  she  looked 
from  their  boat  at  the  rolling  surf  and  then  at  the 
tiny  shell-like  craft  into  which  they  were  expected 
to  descend., ,  It  is,  indeed,  a  dangerous  landing  and 
surely  appeared  very  hazardous  to  their  land-ac- 
customed eyes.  But  they  bravely  got  into  the  boat 


76  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

and  the  skillful  natives  steered  them  safely  between 
the  rocks,  to  land  them  in  Jaffa,  the  home  of  Simon 
the  tanner.  Now,  at  last,  they  were  truly  on  holy 
ground,  in  Palestine  itself. 

They  spent  some  time  visiting  in  Jaffa,  and 
here  he  wrote  out  a  brief  history  of  Palestine,  so 
that  his  readers  could  more  intelligently  follow  his 
travels.  He  knew  his  Bible.  That  is  evidenced 
by  the  brief  histories  he  penned  of  the  cities 
through  which  they  passed  and  the  many  scriptur- 
al quotations  he  makes  in  his  letters.  One  won- 
ders when  he  learned  his  Bible  so  well.  Was  it 
as  a  busy  grocer,  working  from  early  morning  un- 
til late  at  night?  Or  did  he  acquire  that  careful 
knowledge  during  the  few  short  years  as  business 
manager  of  the  school? 

The  trip  from  Jaffa  to  Jerusalem  is  about 
forty  miles  and  it  was  made  in  wagons.  That  is  a 
long  one-day  trip  for  people  not  accustomed  to  this 
mode  of  travel.  On  the  way,  D.  L.  was  interested 
in  the  plowing,  which  was  done  with  a  one-handled 
plow.  He  even  got  out  of  the  wagon  and  tried  to 
work  the  plow,  but  found  it  required  a  skill  that 
his  hands  did  not  possess.  They  rode  all  day 
across  the  land  of  Palestine  toward  Jerusalem, 
and  doubtless  the  fact  that  they  were  in  that  land 
kept  them  from  feeling  too  much  the  fatigue  of  the 
journey.  But  they  arrived  in  Jerusalem  too  tired 
for  any  high  emotions,  as  D.  L.  tells  in  one  of  his 
letters : 


PALESTINE  77 

"  The  last  four  miles  of  our  ride  are  uphill,  for 
Jerusalem  is  surrounded  by  mountains.  Sudden- 
ly, in  front  of  us,  looms  a  dark  object,  and  we  can 
distinguish  the  dim  outlines  of  a  high  wall,  and  we 
begin  to  feel  that  the  first  day  of  our  travel  in  Pal- 
estine is  drawing  to  a  close.  In  a  few  minutes  our 
wagons  halt  at  a  high  tower  in  the  wall.  We  are 
soon  on  the  ground  and  entering  the  Jaffa  gate. 

"  We  are  in  Jerusalem.  Travelers  have  writ- 
ten many  pages  describing  their  emotions  upon 
first  viewing  and  entering  this  city  of  cities.  Shiv- 
ering with  cold  and  the  dampness  of  our  clothing, 
we  do  not  feel  in  a  mood  to  meditate.  We  hurry  to 
our  hotel,  where  a  cold  reception  awaits  us.  There 
is  no  fire  in  the  house,  and  at  midnight  we  go  shiver- 
ing to  our  beds,  in  rooms  with  stone  floors,  that 
have  something  of  the  appearance  of  prison  cells. 
...  It  was  a  long  ride  for  our  first  day  in  Pal- 
estine, and  we  are  exceedingly  glad  and  thankful 
that  it  was  finished. 

"  Notwithstanding  our  rather  unpleasant  sur- 
roundings and  the  novelty  of  the  situation,  being 
tired  and  weary,  we  enjoyed  a  good,  refreshing 
sleep,  and  were  up  early  in  the  morning  fully  rest- 
ed, and  ready  and  anxious  to  begin  our  day's  work 
of  sight-seeing." 

They  did  their  sight-seeing  faithfully,  not  only 
looking  at  the  scenes  of  interest,  but  reading  their 
Bibles  and  studying  works  on  Palestine,  so  that 
this  journey  became  really  an  education.  It  is  im- 
possible to  mention  the  many  place  of  importance 
they  saw.  This  can  only  be  hinted  at.  He  was 
deeply  impressed  by  the  wailing  place  of  the  Jews. 


78  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

Here,  by  an  ancient  wall  of  the  temple,  the  Jews, 
old  and  young,  gather  and  mourn  for  their  lost 
Jerusalem,  praying  for  the  time  to  come  when  it 
will  be  restored  to  them.  After  describing  this  in 
detail,  D.  L.  remarks : 

"  The  question  is  often  asked,  'Are  there,  at  the 
present  lime,  any  indications  of  the  fulfillment  of 
the  prophecy  in  regard  to  the  restoration  of  the 
Jews,  and  are  the  Jews  gathering  in  Jerusalem?' 
At  the  present  time  the  number  of  Jews  at  Jeru- 
salem is  placed  at  about  ten  thousand,  and  there 
does  not  appear  to  be  any  rapid  increase  in  their 
number.  The  faith  of  the  Jews  themselves,  how- 
ever, in  the  prophecy,  and  their  zeal  manifested  in 
the  incidents  here  described,  impressed  us  as  a 
strong  indication  of  the  fulfillment  of  prophecy." 

In  the  light  of  recent  events,  when  Jerusalem 
has  been  freed  from  heathen  rule,  it  seems  that 
those  prophecies  are  really  being  fulfilled. 

"  Having  visited  the  many  places  of  interest 
in  the  Holy  City,  and  having  walked  around  the 
walls  thereof  and  noted  well  its  situation,  we  now 
mount  our  horses  for  the  day's  ride  and  for  sight- 
seeing outside  of  the  city.  Our  horses  are  rather 
small  and  rough  looking,  but  we  found  before  get- 
ting through  with  our  twenty-one  days'  ride  over 
the  rough  and  hilly  roads  of  Palestine,  that  they 
are  exceedingly  hardy,  very  sure-footed  and  of  a 
kindly  disposition.  Wife,  whose  experience  at 
horseback  riding  up  to  this  time  has  been  limited 
to  two  attempts,  feels  somewhat  nervous  over  try- 
ing the  experiment,  but  she  mounts  her  Arabian 


PALESTINE  79 

steed  bravely,  and  we  set  forth  on  our  first  horse- 
back ride  in  Palestine." 

Thus  they  started  out  with  a  party  of  others 
on  a  three  weeks'  trip  which  led  them  through 
Bethlehem,  Jericho,  by  the  Dead  Sea,  and  onward 
to  Samaria,  up  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  and  across 
Syria  to  Damascus  and  Beyrout.  They  stopped  at 
many  historic  places,  and  in  spite  of  the  fatigue 
of  the  journey,  D.  L.'s  Bible  and  books  of  reference 
were  ever  open  and  his  mind  was  constantly  search- 
ing out  all  of  the  facts  regarding  the  land  through 
which  they  were  passing. 

There  were  eighteen  in  the  party  of  travelers. 
Twenty  men  went  along,  acting  as  guides,  cooks, 
dragomans,  guards  and  servants.  In  all  there 
were  forty-five  horses  and  mules  to  carry  the  bag- 
gage. When  camp  was  made,  there  were  nine 
sleeping  tents,  a  dining  tent  and  a  cooking  tent. 
Each  night  all  the  valuables  were  given  to  the 
guard,  who  put  them  in  a  locked  box  and  watched 
it  all  night,  for  their  journey  was  not  through  a 
law-abiding  land  like  America,  but  along  Palestine 
roads,  where  thieves  still  watched  for  their  prey. 
At  night  they  slept  so  soundly  that  they  did  not 
hear  the  howling  hyenas  and  jackals.  Certainly 
their  day  of  travel  left  them  tired. 

"After  journeying  all  day,  one  of  the  most 
welcome  sights  to  us  was  our  canvas  town,  with  the 
American  flag  floating  in  the  breeze.  We  usually 
found  our  tents  pitched,  and  a  good  meal  prepared 


80  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

and  waiting  for  us  in  the  dining  tent.  After  wash- 
ing off  the  dust  of  travel,  the  bell  for  our  evening 
meal  would  ring.  .  .  .  After  the  meal  the  pro- 
gram for  the  following  day  would  be  announced, 
and  then  after  relating  the  experiences  of  the  day, 
we  went  to  our  tents,  where,  after  writing  up  fully 
the  occurrences  of  the  day,  we  retired  to  enjoy  a 
night's  rest,  that  can  only  be  enjoyed  in  a  tent, 
after  a  day  of  fatiguing  travel." 

The  journey,  although  made  up  to  a  great  ex- 
tent with  the  wonder  and  joy  at  seeing  new  and 
sacred  sights,  was  not  entirely  without  its  mis- 
haps. One  of  the  ladies  in  the  party  was  unfortu- 
nate enough  to  break  her  leg.  Luckily  two  doctors 
were  in  the  company,  so  she  received  what  atten- 
tion it  was  possible  to  give  with  the  conveniences 
at  hand.  She  recovered,  with  no  bad  effects  from 
the  accident,  and  in  spite  of  the  pain  and  trouble 
was  most  cheerful  about  it  all.  The  horse  on 
which  another  lady  was  riding  stumbled  and  fell 
down  a  steep  bank  into  a  river.  She  was  thorough- 
ly soaked  but  not  hurt.  The  end  of  the  trip  was 
made  through  a  driving  rain  and  snowstorm,  but 
let  us  have  that  adventure  from  D.  L.'s  own  words, 
taken  from  a  letter  written  at  that  time : 

"At  noon  we  stopped  at  the  fountain  of  Ain 
Fijeh,  the  principal  source  of  the  Abana.  .  .  . 
Here  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  a  full-grown  river 
bursts  from  a  rocky  cave  and  dashes  over  the  rocks 
into  the  valley  below.  It  was  a  delightful  resting 
place,  but  we  carry  an  exceedingly  unpleasant 
recollection  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  of  Fi- 


JORDAN  RIVER 


PALESTINE  81 

jeh,  standing  near  the  fountain.  As  we  mounted 
our  horses  to  ride  forward,  after  our  lunch,  we 
were  suddenly  surrounded  by  a  yelling,  howling 
mob  of  Arabs,  who  were  wild  with  excitement  and 
who  seemed  determined  to  annihilate  us.  They 
were  armed  with  clubs,  axes  and  stones,  and  it 
appeared  at  the  time  that  we  should  not  escape 
without  personal  injury.  But  fortunately,  no  one 
was  hurt,  although  some  of  us  were  badly  fright- 
ened, and  we  rode  away,  glad  to  escape.  .  .  . 

"  We  were  not  further  molested  and  left  our 
camp  early  the  next  morning.  .  .  .  The  rain 
was  coming  down  in  torrents.  ...  It  continued 
to  rain  all  day  and  the  air  was  rough  and  chilly. 
We  rode  twenty-five  miles  through  the  rain  and 
reached  our  camp  late  in  the  evening,  drenched  to 
the  skin  and  chilled  to  the  bone.  ...  To  add 
to  our  discomfort  we  found  that  some  of  our  pack 
mules  had  fallen  into  the  river  and  our  tents  and 
beds  were  also  wet.  Fire  was  out  of  the  question, 
and  we  crept  into  our  damp  beds,  shivering  with 
cold.  It  rained  all  night.  About  midnight  a  hard 
storm  set  in  and  the  side  of  our  tent  blew  in.  We 
were  out  of  bed  early  in  the  morning  and  started 
for  Baalbek,  sixteen  miles  away,  in  the  driving 
rain.  Never  was  seen  a  more  dismal  lot  of  travel- 
ers. ...  It  also  grew  colder,  and  for  two  hours 
we  rode  facing  a  fierce  snowstorm.  At  length,  as 
we  ascended  a  hilltop,  we  caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
ruins  of  Baalbek,  and  never  was  sight  more  wel- 
come. We  rode  up  to  the  little  village  and  found  a 
gloomy,  rough-looking  building,  which  we  found  to 
be  a  kind  of  hotel.  The  rooms  within  were  without 
fire.  .  .  .  Our  baggage  was  back  in  the  hills  of 
Lebanon  and  dry  clothes  were  out  of  the  question. 


82  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

"  Finally  we  secured  a  couple  of  pans  with 
some  coals  of  fire  in  them.  We  wrung  the  water 
out  of  our  clothes  and  sat  shivering  over  the  dying 
embers  trying  to  dry  our  wet  clothing.  Nearly 
four  hours  later  our  baggage  arrived  and  we  were 
soon  made  more  comfortable.  .  .  .  Towards 
evening  the  clouds  broke  away,  and  the  sun  shone 
brightly  on  the  mountains  of  Lebanon,  now  covered 
with  a  mantle  of  snow.  .  .  . 

"After  Baalbek,  we  had  two  days'  ride  to  Bey- 
rout.  .  .  .  And  now  for  home !  How  often  have 
we  longed,  nay  prayed,  for  the  time  to  come  when 
Ave  should  again  take  ship  at  Beyrout  for  our  re- 
turn voyage ! " 

They  returned  to  Halle,  in  Germany,  where 
they  spent  a  week  preparing  for  the  homeward 
trip,  and  then  boarded  the  Werra  at  Bremerhaven. 
Their  voyage  lasted  eleven  days  and  they  were 
seasick,  but  home  was  reached  "with  hearts  full  of 
gratitude  to  the  Giver  of  all  good." 


CHAPTER  XI 

FIRST  BOOK 

AFTEE  their  return  home,  about  the  middle 
of  May,  1884,  D.  L.  and  his  wife  attended 
the  Annual  Conference  at  Dayton,  Ohio. 
Until  that  time  he  had  had  no  thought  of  publishing 
his  letters  in  book  form,  but  they  had  been  very 
popular,  and  materially  increased  the  subscrip- 
tion list  of  the  Gospel  Messenger.  At  the  Confer- 
ence he  was  beset  by  friends  to  publish  the  letters 
in  permanent  shape.  Letters  poured  in  on  him, 
making  the  same  request.  In  explaining  this,  in 
the  preface  of  the  first  edition,  he  says : 

"  It  was  only  after  returning  to  America,  and 
while  attending  the  Annual  Conference  of  our  Fra- 
ternity at  Dayton,  Ohio,  that,  being  strongly  urged 
by  many  of  the  brethren  and  friends,  we  first 
seriously  considered  the  matter  of  publishing  this 
volume.  The  responsibility,  it  will  be  seen,  rests 
upon  our  friends." 

It  was  a  responsibility  that  his  friends  might 
well  be  proud  of,  for  "  Europe  and  Bible  Lands  " 
was  a  success  from  the  start.  Suddenly  to  find 
oneself  a  popular  author  must  have  been  a  very 
gratifying  experience.  He  merely  says  of  it, 
though,  "  I  felt  a  bit  elated  over  my  first  book."  He 
had  ordered  a  thousand  copies,  but  advance  or- 

83 


84  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

ders  came  in  rapidly,  so  lie  dared  to  order  a  second 
thousand.  But  before  the  second  thousand  was 
ready  to  be  mailed  they  were  all  sold.  He  had  not 
had  the  book  electrotyped,  and  consequently,  in 
order  to  get  out  the  second  edition,  he  had  to  have  it 
reset.  Edition  after  edition  was  sold,  until,  by  1890, 
eleven  editions  had  been  disposed  of.  In  glancing 
over  the  editorial  pages  of  the  Messenger  during 
this  period,  a  number  of  references  to  the  sale  of 
the  book,  something  like  the  following,  can  be 
found : 

"  The  demand  for  '  Europe  and  Bible  Lands  ' 
seems  to  be  unabated.  The  seventh  edition,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  volumes  bound  in  leather, 
has  been  sold.  Those  who  order  cloth-bound  books 
will  please  have  patience.  A  new  edition,  the 
eighth,  will  be  printed  as  soon  as  possible,  and  in  a 
few  weeks  all  orders  will  be  filled." 

After  five  editions  had  been  disposed  of,  D.  L. 
offered  to  give  the  copyright  to  the  Book  and  Tract 
Committee,  to  make  what  they  could  out  of  it.  But 
they  decided  that  they  did  not  want  it,  for  they  said 
the  sale  had  been  exhausted.  However,  after  that 
time  six  more  editions  were  sold,  which  brought 
him  a  good  sum  in  the  way  of  profits. 

Doubtless  the  book  was  published  at  the 
right  moment  to  be  popular.  The  church  was 
awakening  in  a  broader  outlook.  Schools  had 
been  started  and  the  young  people  were  being  edu- 
cated. A  wider  demand  for  books  was  evident  on 
every  hand.  It  takes  only  a  glance  at  the  list  of 


FIRST  BOOK  85 

publications,  furnished  through  the  Publishing 
House  at  that  time,  to  see  that  there  was  an  open- 
ing for  a  book  of  travel.  So,  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  it  had  already  been  read  by  thousands  in  the 
Messenger,  it  was  bought  by  many  more  thousands. 

After  having  heard  D.  L.'s  lectures  on  the  Holy 
Land  many  times  (he  always  called  them  Bible 
Land  Talks),  it  was  most  interesting  to  go  back 
over  "  Europe  and  Bible  Lands."  D.  L.  put  his 
adventures  so  clearly  and  so  pleasantly  before 
the  reader,  that  one  finds  it  hard  to  lay  the  book 
down. 

D.  L.  had  a  dignified,  clear  style  in  writing. 
He  was  thoroughly  in  earnest,  very  much  absorbed 
in  his  trip,  and  was  able  to  translate  that  interest 
to  the  printed  page.  He  did  not  tire  the 
reader  with  minor  incidents  and  useless  facts, 
as  so  many  do,  but  presented  clearly  and 
restrainedly  the  main  theme,  leaving  the  embellish- 
ment to  the  reader's  imagination.  Consequently, 
he  produced  a  very  interesting  volume. 

Doubtless  the  success  of  this  book  increased 
his  interest  in  writing  and  gave  impetus  to  his  ed- 
itorial work  and  his  study  of  the  Holy  Land.  It  is 
plain  to  see  that  he  continued  to  read  along  that 
line,  for  in  his  editorials  are  many  references  to 
events  of  interest,  and  discoveries  in  the  Holy  Land 
and  in  Egypt.  Occasionally  articles  appeared  in 
the  Messenger  from  his  pen,  which  showed  that  his 
interest  was  unabated  in  this  subject. 


CHAPTEE  XII 

EDITORIAL  WORK 

BEGINNING  with  the  year  1885,  D.  L.  Miller 
was  made  office  editor  of  tlie  Gospel  Messen- 
ger. At  that  time  the  Gospel  Messenger  was 
a  year  and  a  half  old  and  the  only  church  paper 
then  being  published.  In  April,  1851,  Brother  Hen- 
ry Kurtz  issued  the  first  number  of  the  Gospel 
Visitor.    Brother  James  Quinter  became  associ- 
ated with  Brother  Kurtz  in  1856  and  continued  in 
editorial  work  until  his  death  in  1888. 

"  For  a  number  of  years,  the  Gospel  Visitor 
was  the  only  church  paper,  and  then  came  in  quick 
succession  the  Christian  Family  Companion,  the 
Pilgrim,  the  Vindicator,  the  Primitive  Christian, 
the  Brethren  at  Work,  the  Gospel  Preacher,  the 
Progressive  Preacher,  and  others.  This  was  the 
period  of  church  paper  expansion  among  us.  When 
it  was  learned  that  much  money  could  be  lost  and 
confusion  engendered  in  printing  papers,  there 
came  a  time  of  consolidation ;  and  finally  one  paper 
resulted,  owned  and  controlled  by  the  church."- 
Gospel  Messenger,  Dec.  2, 1899. 

Some  of  the  above  mentioned  papers  discon- 
tinued publication  during  the  seventies,  while  oth- 
ers were  consolidated  and  the  names  changed.  In 
1873  the  Gospel  Visitor  and  the  Christian  Family 

87 


88  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

Companion  were  consolidated,  and  in  1876  the 
name  was  changed  to  the  Primitive  Christian, 
which  was  published  in  Huntingdon,  Pennsylva- 
nia, with  Brother  James  Quinter  and  others  as 
editors.  The  Brethren  at  Work  made  its  appear- 
ance in  1876  and  was  edited  and  published  at  Lan- 
ark, Illinois,  by  Brethren  M.  M.  Eshelman,  J.  H. 
Moore  and  J.  T.  Myers.  In  April,  1881,  the  Breth- 
ren at  Work  was  moved  to  Mt.  Morris,  Illinois.  At 
this  time  the  Primitive  Christian  and  the  Brethren 
at  Work  were  the  two  principal  church  papers  pub- 
lished, "  thus  giving  the  Brotherhood  two  weekly 
papers,  one  East  and  one  West,  as  competitive  can- 
didates for  patronage.  But  as  these  two  papers 
pursued  about  the  same  course,  and  advocated  the 
same  church  policy,  there  was  no  friction  between 
them,  and  for  the  time  being  the  press  ceased  to  be 
a  disturbing  element  in  the  church." — "  Two  Cen- 
turies of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,"  page  352. 
The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  paper  pre- 
pared by  Galen  B.  Eoyer  in  1902,  entitled,  "  Some 
Facts  Concerning  the  Publishing  Interests  Turned 
Over  to  the  General  Missionary  and  Tract  Com- 
mittee " : 

"  In  1881  Brother  Miller  entered  the  publish- 
ing business.  These  conditions  obtained  at  that 
time :  Brother  M.  M.  Eshelman,  after  selling  his 
half  interest  in  the  then  Brethren  at  Work  on  the 
basis  of  ten  thousand  dollars  for  the  entire  busi- 
ness (the  sale  was  made  to  Brother  Joseph  Amick) , 
found  himself  unable  to  meet  his  obligations.  .  .  . 


EDITORIAL  WORK  89 

A  council  of  elders  was  called.  K.  H.  Miller,  Enoch 
Eby,  D.  E.  Price  and  others  attended  that  meet- 
ing. It  was  then  advised  and  Brother  Miller  was 
urged  to  go  into  the  business  and  help  save  the 
paper  from  ruin.  .  .  . 

"  In  this  way  his  connection  with  the  publish- 
ing interests  began.  Brother  Amick  and  he  took 
the  business  on  the  basis  of  ten  thousand  dollars. 
A  small  amount  of  that  came  back  to  them  on  the 
sale  of  the  Children  at  Work,  but  went  into  the 
business  again.  They  at  once  put  in  one  thousand 
dollars  and  such  additional  sums  as  were  neces- 
sary to  buy  printing  paper  and  pay  labor.  They 
had  about  four  thousand  subscribers  paid  for  the 
year  and  the  money  gone.  The  outlook  was  not 
encouraging.  These  were  days  of  anxious  care 
and  hard  work.  In  a  year  they  had  the  business  so 
well  organized  that  no  loss  was  entailed  except 
nothing  for  time  and  money  invested. 

"At  Milford,  Indiana,  in  1882,  plans  for  con- 
solidation with  the  Primitive  Christian  were  pre- 
sented. The  Eastern  brethren  placed  a  value  of 
fifteen  thousand  dollars  upon  their  business.  This 
included  copyrights,  bookbindery,  Sunday-school 
paper  and  the  Primitive  Christian.  After  investi- 
gation it  was  agreed  to  unite  on  a  basis  of  eleven 
thousand  dollars  for  the  Brethren  at  Work  and 
fifteen  thousand  dollars  for  theirs.  Five  thousand 
dollars  cash  was  put  in  to  push  the  business,  mak- 
ing a  total  of  thirty-one  thousand  dollars.  The 
Conference  appointed  a  committee  of  seven  to  con- 
fer as  to  the  publishing  interests.  Two  reports 
were  made — one  in  favor  of  the  church  taking  the 
paper  at  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  the  other  in 
favor  of  consolidating  and  the  owners  to  hold  the 


90  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

property.  As  is  known,  the  latter  report  was  ac- 
cepted. The  consolidation  was  effected  next  year 
at  Bismarck  Grove.  .  .  .  After  culling  out  all 
duplicate  subscribers  the  Gospel  Messenger  was 
started  July  3,  1883,  with  five  thousand  five  hun- 
dred subscribers,  not  enough  to  pay  expenses  and 
interest  on  capital  invested.  In  1886  the  business 
began  to  pay  a  small  dividend  on  the  money  in- 
vested, and  it  soon  became  known  that  there  was  a 
balance  each  year  on  the  credit  side  of  the  ledger." 
The  following  is  the  report  accepted  by  the 
Conference  in  1882  regarding  the  consolidation  of 
the  papers : 

"  XXI.  .  .  .  We,  the  owners  and  publishers 
of  the  Primitive  Christian  and  the  Brethren  at 
Work,  have  this  day  agreed  upon  a  basis  of  con- 
solidation upon  the  following  conditions : 

"  Two  papers  shall  be  published,  one  East  and 
one  West,  or  one  paper  with  a  branch  office,  as 
Annual  Meeting  and  the  consolidated  firm  may 
think  to  be  for  the  best  interests  of  the  church. 

"  The  Annual  Meeting  shall  recognize  this  pa- 
per, or  papers,  as  the  case  may  be,  as  the  official 
church  paper. 

"  We  agree  to  make  ourselves  directly  amena- 
ble to  Annual  Meeting  for  the  contents  and  char- 
acter of  the  paper  or  papers. 

"  We  also  further  agree  to  purchase  at  a 
reasonable  price  any  other  papers  now  published 
in  the  Brotherhood  and  to  merge  them  into  the 
consolidated  paper  or  papers : 

"  If  the  above  is  not  acceptable  to  Annual 
Meeting,  we  hereby  agree  to  sell  our  respective  pa- 
pers to  any  company  that  this  Annual  Meeting  may 


EDITORIAL  WORK  91 

designate,  at  the  price  agreed  upon  between  our- 
selves as  the  basis  for  our  proposed  consolidation. 
"  Quinter  and  Brumbaugh  Brothers. 
"  Miller  and  Amick. 
"  Milford,  Ind.,  June  1,  1882. 
"  Committee :    D.  L.  Miller,  H.  K.  Myers,  H.  B. 
Brumbaugh,  K.  H.  Miller,  S.  L.  Bosserman,  J. 
Harshberger." 

When  the  consolidation  was  made,  James 
Quinter,  H.  B.  and  J.  B.  Brumbaugh  were  the  ed- 
itors of  the  Primitive  Christian,  and  M.  M.  Eshel- 
man,  S  J.  Harrison  and  J.  W.  Stein  were  editors 
of  the  Brethren  at  Work.  After  the  consolidation 
the  Gospel  Messenger  was  edited  by  James  Quin- 
ter, H.  B.  Brumbaugh,  J.  H.  Moore,  office  editor, 
and  Joseph  Amick,  business  manager.  March 
one,  1884,  J.  H.  Moore  resigned,  to  move  South  on 
account  of  his  wife's  health,  and  J.  B.  Brumbaugh 
took  his  place  until  Jan.  1,  1885,  when  D.  L.  was 
made  office  editor.  J.  B.  Brumbaugh  returned  to 
his  home  in  Huntingdon  and  continued  as  one  of 
the  editors  for  many  years. 

D.  L.'s  preparation  for  editorial  work  had  in 
a  way  been  limited.  Until  about  five  years  before 
this  time  he  had  not  been  actively  interested  in  the 
various  pursuits  of  the  church.  With  the  move 
to  Mount  Morris  his  mind  opened  up  to  many 
things.  That  he  had  shown  talent,  even  while  in 
the  grocery  business,  was  evident,  for  his  wife  re- 
lates that  while  editing  the  Argus,  in  Polo,  Mr. 
Clinton  used  to  advise  him  to  get  out  of  commer- 


92  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

cial  work  and  enter  the  publishing  work  of  the 
church.  While  Mr.  Clinton  was  not  a  member,  he 
still  realized  that  there  was  an  opening  in  the  pub- 
lishing business  of  the  church  and  that  D.  L.  was 
the  man  to  help  fill  that  place.  And  again,  D.  L.rs 
uncle,  Sam  Price,  used  to  come  to  Polo  every  Sat- 
urday, to  do  his  buying  and  always  found  a  plate 
laid  for  him  in  D.  L.'s  home.  He  used  to  say : 

"  Dan,  there  is  something  better  in  store  for 
you  than  measuring  out  kerosene  and  weighing  out 
sugar."  And  as  another  says :  "  He  was  always 
ready  for  the  duty  or  opportunity  that  came  to 
him." 

He  had  much  to  do  and  much  to  learn.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  until  that  time  he  had  been 
primarily  a  groceryman.  True,  he  had  taught 
country  school  in  his  youth,  and  had  also  edited 
the  Argus  for  a  few  years.  He  had  suddenly 
dropped  his  business  and  devoted  his  talents  to  the 
educational  work  of  the  church.  Naturally,  he  had 
thus  become  acquainted  with  the  papers  that  were 
being  issued,  and  had  opportunity  to  know  the  men 
who  were  publishing  them.  Then  came  his  trip 
abroad  and  his  first  book.  All  of  this  must  have 
been  concentrated  preparation  for  his  editorial 
work.  Without  too  many  preconceived  ideas  and 
too  many  prejudices,  and  with  no  hard  feelings,  he 
came  to  the  editorial  chair  with  a  fresh,  active 
mind,  and  a  thorough  determination  to  make  a 
success  of  the  paper.  Perhaps  the  very  fact  that 


EDITORIAL  WORK  93 

his  previous  active  church  life  had  been  brief  was 
an  advantage,  for  his  mind  was  not  warped  by 
controversies  that  might  have  biased  the  opinions 
of  an  editor  older  in  the  business. 

In  the  first  Gospel  Messenger  a  brief  notice  is 
given  that  he  is  to  be  editor.  His  policy  is  stated  so 
briefly  and  so  clearly  that  it  is  well  to  insert  the 
full  notice : 

"  Knowing  something  of  the  perplexities,  the 
peculiar  trials,  and  the  responsibilities  resting  on 
the  editor,  we  have,  with  considerable  reluctance, 
consented  to  take  charge  of  the  editorial  work  of 
this  office  for  a  short  time.  We  do  this  with  a  full 
sense  of  our  weakness  and  inexperience,  and  be- 
cause of  this  we  bespeak  for  our  labors  the  charity 
of  our  readers  and  the  prayers  of  our  brethren  and 
sisters,  that  we  may  have  Divine  guidance  so  that 
we  may  faithfully  and  honestly  perform  the  re- 
sponsible duties  devolving  upon  us. 

"  Our  only  purpose  is  to  labor  for  the  truth  as 
it  is  in  Jesus,  and  if  in  our  humble  way  we  can 
help  to  promote  love,  harmony,  peace  and  good  will, 
in  the  Brotherhood,  and  attain  to  a  holier  life, 
and  higher  Christian  experience  ourself — whilst 
we  try  to  help  others  onward  and  upward  in  the 
Christian  life — we  shall  feel  that  we  have  not 
labored  in  vain. 

"  If  we  make  mistakes — and  who  is  perfect?— 
please  tell  us  kindly  of  our  errors,  and  we  shall  try, 
by  the  help  of  God,  to  correct  them.  Our  best 
friends  are  those  who  tell  us  of  our  faults  and  help 
us  to  get  rid  of  them. 

"  We  sincerely  regret  the  necessity  that  takes 
Brother  J.  B.  Brumbaugh  away  from  the  work  and 


94  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

away  from  among  us.  We  shall  miss  Mm  and  Sis- 
ter Ella  from  our  religious  and  social  circle.  They 
are  both  earnest,  zealous,  Christian  workers,  and 
their  influence  will  be  felt  for  good  wherever  they 
go.  During  their  stay  here,  they  made  many  warm 
friends  and  the  best  wishes  of  all  go  with  them  to 
their  home  in  Huntingdon.  «  jy  -^  Miller." 

At  first  his  editorials  were  brief  and  con- 
fined mostly  to  news  items,  but  as  the  weeks  and 
months  slipped  by  and  confidence  came  to  him  they 
grew  longer.  From  the  beginning  he  avoided  ex- 
treme views  and  subjects  under  controversy. 
Bather,  he  emphasized  constantly  the  positive  vir- 
tues of  "  love,  harmony,  peace  and  good  will."  In 
the  first  number  are  two  short  notices  that  reflect 
his  feelings : 

"  Let  us  make  the  new  year  a  happy  and  pros- 
perous one  by  dedicating  ourselves,  and  all  that 
we  have  to  the  service  of  the  Lord." 

"Let  us  labor  this  year  and  all  the  days  of 
the  years  of  our  lives  for  the  peace  and  prosperity 
of  our  beloved  Zion.  Union,  peace  and  harmony 
should  dwell  forever  among  the  people  of  God. 
Where  this  is  lacking,  something  is  wrong:  not 
with  our  holy  religion  but  with  ourselves.  God 
help  us  to  get  right  and  to  keep  right." 

And  he  was  the  first  to  practice  his  own  preach- 
ing. 

Doubtless  he  felt  the  delicate  position  in 
which  he  was  placed  as  editor  and  part  owner  of 
the  paper,  for  he  did  not  boldly  urge  the  Messen- 
ger into  every  home  because  it  was  a  church  paper. 


EDITORIAL  WORK  95 

However,  these  two  items  are  found,  one  above  the 
other,  in  the  first  number,  and  they  show  how  tact- 
fully he  placed  before  his  readers  the  duty  of  sub- 
scribing for  the  Messenger: 

"  We  hope  our  agents  will  make  an  extra  effort 
to  extend  the  circulation  of  the  Messenger.  It 
should  find  a  place  in  every  family  in  the  Brother- 
hood. We  are  much  encouraged,  as  many  of  our 
workers  are  sending  in  good  lists,  and  many  kind 
words  are  borne  to  us  by  the  mail.  We  thank  our 
friends  for  their  kind,  helpful  words,  and  our 
agents  for  their  energy  in  securing  subscribers  for 
the  Messenger.  May  God's  blessing  attend  our  la- 
bors for  this  year  of  grace,  1885." 

"  The  members  of  your  family  will  read,  and 
it  is  your  duty,  as  parents,  to  supply  them  with 
good  reading  matter.  Eeading  helps  to  form  char- 
acter. Some  one  said,  '  Show  me  a  man's  friends 
and  I  will  show  you  what  kind  of  a  man  he  is,'  and 
we  may  say  with  equal  truth  and  force,  Show  us 
the  books  and  papers  a  man  reads  and  we  will 
give  you  an  index  to  his  character.  It  is  important, 
then,  that  you  give  to  your  sons  and  daughters 
pure  literature.  Good  books  and  good  papers  will 
help  them  to  be  good  men  and  women." 

The  Messenger  prospered.  The  circulation 
increased.  When  D.  L.  wrote  his  first  letters  from 
the  Holy  Land,  the  subscription  list  was  about  five 
thousand.  In  1890  it  was  fourteen  thousand.  Some 
years  after  the  Messenger  was  issued  there  was  in- 
stalled a  new  folding  machine,  which  both  folded 
and  pasted  the  paper.  In  1888  the  paper  was  en- 


96  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

larged.  These  improvements  were  made  without 
increasing  the  subscription  price.  This  was  clearly 
explained  to  the  readers  with  all  due  modesty. 

Contributors  were  not  paid  in  cash,  but  by  a 
few  free  subscriptions  to  the  Messenger.  The  ed- 
itor did  not  always  have  an  easy  time  selecting  his 
articles.  More  articles  came  in  than  he  needed. 
Likewise  many  were  of  a  controversial  nature,  out 
of  harmony  with  the  policy  of  the  paper.  Again, 
many  articles  received  were  on  the  same  subject, 
until  publishing  more  would  be  merely  a  repeti- 
tion of  old  arguments.  In  the  Messenger  for  Aug. 
31, 1886,  D.  L.  goes  into  some  detail  explaining  the 
problems  of  selecting  articles.  He  admits  the  pos- 
sibility of  making  mistakes  thus : 

"...  Here,  you  notice,  the  editors  must 
exercise  their  judgment,  and  as  they  are  but  human 
they  doubtless  often  make  mistakes,  but  it  may 
happen  that  some  articles  that  are  published  are 
not  so  good  as  some  that  do  not  get  into  the  paper. 
If  it  were  possible  to  get  an  editor  with  an  infalli- 
ble judgment,  such  mistakes  would  not  occur.  This 
being  impossible,  the  only  thing  to  be  done  is  for 
our  correspondents  to  bear  with  our  failures.  This 
the  great  majority  of  them  do  and  we  thank  them 
for  their  Christian  forbearance.  .  .  .  We  do  not 
reject  an  essay  because  it  is  at  variance  with  our 
views,  but  we  do  not  think  it  right  to  publish  ar- 
ticles that  teach  contrary  to  the  Bible." 

During  a  recent  Conference  one  of  the  speak- 
ers said :  "  There  is  no  greater  force  for  unity  in 
the  church  than  the  Gospel  Messenger."  When  it 


EDITORIAL  WORK  97 

is  remembered  that  the  Messenger  goes  into  nearly 
every  home  in  the  church,  and  that  those  members 
are  all  reading  the  same  things  and  discussing 
them,  the  influence  of  the  editor  can  hardly  be  over- 
estimated. The  Gospel  Messenger  was  the  first 
paper  to  be  read  by  the  whole  church  and  to  become 
the  real  voice  of  the  church.  The  influence  it  had  in 
uniting  the  East  and  the  West,  the  Progressives 
and  Conservatives,  in  discouraging  disunion  and 
promoting  unity,  love  and  forbearance,  and  teach- 
ing the  true  Christian  virtues,  was  not  only  one  of 
the  main  factors  in  making  it  a  success,  but  has 
been  one  of  the  chief  sources  of  material  and  spirit- 
ual growth  in  the  church  since  that  time.  The  sane- 
ness  of  that  first  editor,  his  forbearance  and  toler- 
ance, his  willingness  to  look  with  open  mind  on 
both  sides  of  a  question  made  the  Messenger  a  pow- 
er in  the  church,  so  that  when  the  time  came,  it  was 
so  well  established  that  the  work  could  safely  be 
turned  over  to  another,  thus  freeing  D.  L.  for 
further  travel. 

D.  L.'s  own  editorials  were  largely  along  pos- 
itive lines.  In  almost  every  issue  was  something 
to  further  the  temperance  cause.  There  were  many 
brief  editorials  opposing  war,  against  the  use  of 
tobacco,  and  in  favor  of  the  simple  Christian  life. 
As  is  related  below,  the  Sunday-school  and  prayer 
meeting  were  tactfully  brought  before  the  minds 
of  the  readers.  Often  there  were  brief  articles  on 
some  discovery  in  the  Holy  Land.  And  in  practi- 


98  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

cally  every  issue  was  an  inspirational  discussion 
of  some  Bible  verse  or  spiritual  virtue.  In  those 
early  years  Ms  mind  was  more  occupied  with  spirit- 
ual growth  than  with  the  doctrinal  discussions 
which  had  ruptured  the  church.  From  1887  on, 
after  the  Miller-Sommer  debate,  which  he  heard, 
and  after  he  had  had  more  experience,  his  edi- 
torials concerned  doctrinal  subjects  more  and 
more,  and  with  this  gradual  change  of  emphasis 
came  the  desire  to  secure  more  evidence  on  those 
doctrines,  held  so  dear  by  the  church.  This  feeling 
grew  until  it  resulted  in  more  trips  abroad  to  find 
what  could  be  learned  at  first  hand  regarding  the 
faith  of  the  church. 

One  theme  was  discussed  oftener  than  any 
other.  That  was  the  cause  of  missions.  The  men- 
tion of  Brother  Hope's  work  in  Denmark  appeared 
so  frequently  that  it  seemed  like  a  continued  nar- 
rative. Finally,  when  it  became  necessary  for 
Brother  Hope  to  return  to  this  country  on  account 
of  his  wife's  illness,  and  it  was  decided  to  raise  a 
fund  of  $3,000  for  a  home  for  him,  the  notices  were 
of  weekly  appearance.  D.  L.'s  intense  interest  in 
the  growth  of  that  fund  could  be  felt  by  the  reader, 
and  when  the  time  came  for  Brother  Hope  really  to 
return,  the  reader  could  not  help  but  long  for  the 
next  number,  to  see  that  he  arrived  safely  home 
with  his  sickly  family.  These  notices  not  only  con- 
cerned Brother  Hope's  affairs,  but  they  encouraged 
the  cause"  of  giving,  and  doubtless  awakened  the 


EDITORIAL  WORK  99 

rather  sluggish  conscience  of  the  church  to  the 
need  of  spreading  the  Gospel  in  foreign  lands. 

During  the  eighties,  an  agitation  grew  for  the 
church  to  own  the  Messenger.  D.  L.  was  in  favor 
of  this,  and  all  of  those  who  were  interested  in  the 
publication  of  the  Messenger  were  willing  that  it 
should  be  done.  A  query  to  this  effect  was  brought 
up  at  Annual  Meeting.  It  was  argued,  and  the 
sentiment  seemed  to  be  to  let  well  enough  alone. 
Finally,  it  was  deferred  for  two  years,  to  be  con- 
sidered and  discussed  in  the  Messenger.  On  a  num- 
ber of  occasions  D.  L.  set  forth  the  advantages  of 
the  church  owning  and  controlling  the  Messenger. 
He  had  helped  to  get  it  on  a  money-making  basis 
and  it  had  become  a  great  influence  in  molding  sen- 
timent in  the  church.  He  felt  that  it  was  the  duty 
of  the  church  to  have  a  definite  control  of  its  pol- 
icies. Again  it  was  discussed  at  Annual  Meeting. 
Again  the  sentiment  was  stronger  than  ever  that 
as  the  paper  was  doing  so  well  as  it  was  being  man- 
aged no  change  should  be  made.  The  matter  was 
dropped  and  it  was  years  later  before  the  Messen- 
ger was  turned  over  to  the  church.  Could  a  more 
fitting  commendation  be  given  to  those  manag- 
ing and  editing  the  Messenger? 


RELIGIOUS  ACTIVITIES  IN  THE  EIGHTIES 

DL.  was  elected  superintendent  of  the 
Mount  Morris  and  Silver  Creek  Sunday- 
•  schools  in  1885,  after  the  return  from  his 
first  trip  abroad.  Previous  to  this  he  had  been  a 
teacher  in  the  "  Bible  School,"  the  so-called  substi- 
tute for  the  Sunday-school  in  the  church  at  that 
time.  His  belief  in  the  good  that  could  be  accom- 
plished by  the  Sunday-school  grew  and  was  reflect- 
ed in  his  efforts  to  make  the  school  at  Mount  Morris 
a  success.  There  is  no  doubt  that  he  and  his  helpers 
accomplished  this,  for  it  was  soon  reported  that 
the  enrollment  had  increased  from  two  hundred 
and  thirty  to  nearly  four  hundred. 

Not  being  satisfied  with  making  the  school  at 
Mount  Morris  of  real  benefit  to  that  church,  he  be- 
gan to  spread,  through  the  columns  of  the  Messen- 
ger, the  news  of  what  such  a  school  could  do.  The 
tact  that  he  used  throughout  his  life  in  winning 
people  to  his  views  was  not  neglected  here.  We 
find  no  editorial  saying,  "  Brethren,  we  must  have 
Sunday-schools,"  but  there  are  many  brief  notices, 
telling  of  the  increase  in  the  enrollment  of  the 
Mount  Morris  school,  mentioning  the  amount  of 

101 


102  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

the  collection  and  its  use;  likewise  speaking  of 
some  school  being  started  in  a  near-by  church  or 
country  schoolhouse.  Thus  did  he  so  gently  sug- 
gest the  good  that  a  Sunday-school  could  do  that 
no  one  could  take  offense,  and  yet  the  subject  was 
kept  before  the  minds  of  the  Messenger  readers. 

The  growth  of  the  Sunday-school  was  reflected 
in  the  sale  of  the  quarterlies.  At  first  these  were 
written  by  D.  L.,  and  sold  through  the  Publishing 
House.  Later  Brother  S.  Z.  Sharp  did  the  writing. 
When  they  were  first  published,  and  new  to  most 
of  the  churches  then  starting  schools,  notices  were 
scattered  through  the  Messenger  columns,  urging 
the  churches  to  use  them  as  an  aid  in  their  work. 
They  proved  so  popular  that  it  was  not  long  until 
these  notices  changed  to  explanations,  saying  that 
the  entire  edition  of  quarterlies  had  been  exhaust- 
ed, and  suggesting  that  the  Sunday-schools  get 
their  orders  in  earlier. 

Some  time  in  the  seventies  D.  L.  had  written 
an  article,  strongly  favoring  and  urging  Sunday- 
schools — there  were  none  in  his  State  District  at 
that  time — but  the  office  editor  returned  it,  saying 
that  it  was  not  wise  to  print  it  just  then.  By  1887 
each  edition  of  the  quarterly  was  exhausted  almost 
before  it  was  off  the  press.  Thus  it  is  seen  how  his 
efforts  constantly  had  been  thrown  in  favor  of  the 
Sunday-school,  and  how  they  succeeded  in  promot- 


KELIGIOUS  ACTIVITIES  IN  THE  EIGHTIES      103 

ing  the  spread  of  the  Sunday-school  throughout 
the  church. 

He  made  many  references  to  the  good  derived 
from  the  prayer  meeting.  In  the  opening  chapter 
of  "  Europe  and  Bible  Lands  "  he  speaks  of  all  of 
the  church  services,  and  especially  the  prayer  meet- 
ing. That  he  received  great  benefit  and  inspiration 
from  prayer  meetings  throughout  his  life  was  evi- 
denced by  his  constant  attendance  and  his  sincere 
enjoyment  of  them. 

"  Then,  too,  as  the  time  of  parting  came,  we 
thought  of  our  prayer  meetings,  our  Sunday-school, 
and  our  church  services.  How  we  have,  in  the  past, 
enjoyed  these  spiritual  feasts!  How  often,  when 
cast  down  amid  the  cares  and  difficulties  conse- 
quent upon  our  work,  have  we  had  our  souls  re- 
freshed, and  our  spiritual  strength  renewed,  by  the 
communion  of  kindred  spirits  in  the  i  upper  room,' 
at  our  prayer  meetings!  How  the  kind,  helpful, 
encouraging  words  of  our  dear  brethren  and  sis- 
ters have  given  us  fresh  courage  to  take  up  again 
the  burden,  and  made  it  lighter  because  we  were 
made  stronger  to  bear  it!  Brethren,  do  not  neg- 
lect the  prayer  meeting;  it  is  a  means  of  grace, 
which,  if  properly  used,  cannot  fail  to  strengthen 
you  in  your  spiritual  life." 

In  1887  he  was  elected  to  the  ministry.  He 
was  chosen  on  a  Thursday,  in  the  country  church 
at  Silver  Creek,  where  the  business  meetings  were 
held  in  those  days.  He  did  not  want  the  office,  for 
he  felt  with  reason  that  he  had  enough  to  do  with 


104  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

his  editorial,  school  and  mission  work.  Likewise, 
he  thought  that  he  had  not  had  the  necessary 
preparation  for  the  office,  and  that,  at  the  age  of 
forty-five,  it  was  late  to  start.  But  he  was  urged 
by  the  brethren  not  to  refuse.  Uncle  Dave  Price, 
one  of  the  elders,  said,  "  Now  don't  get  stubborn 
on  our  hands,  Brother  D.  L." 

And  Brother  D.  L.  hesitatingly  consented. 
What  a  loss  there  would  have  been  to  the  church 
had  he  not  done  so !  In  the  chapel  at  Mount  Morris 
he  preached  over  three  hundred  sermons.  And  to 
the  last,  when  nearly  eighty  years  old,  and  so 
feeble  at  times  that  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  be 
helped  to  the  church,  he  continued  to  preach.  Once 
he  said,  with  a  note  of  regret  in  his  voice,  that  if  he 
had  his  life  to  live  over  again  he  would  spend  more 
time  preaching  and  less  time  lecturing.  Might  it 
not  be  that  his  lectures  have  been  of  as  much 
spiritual  value  as  sermons  could  have  been,  since 
his  constant  effort  was  to  increase  the  belief  and 
faith  in  the  Bible  on  the  part  of  his  audience?  Dur- 
ing an  age  of  doubt  in  religious  thought,  among 
many  classes,  and  of  growth  and  change  within 
the  church,  his  efforts  in  that  line,  doubtless,  have 
accomplished  unestimated  good  toward  uniting  the 
church  more  firmly  and  toward  strengthening  the 
belief  in  the  essentials  of  Christianity. 

In  spite  of  the  work  he  had  to  do,  he  immediate- 
ly began  to  prepare  himself  better  for  the  ministry. 


D.  L.  IN  THE   EIGHTIES 


KBLIGIOUS  ACTIVITIES  IN  THE  EIGHTIES      105 

He  filled  his  library  with  books  of  reference.  With 
a  critical  eye  he  watched  other  preachers,  not  to 
detect  their  faults,  but  to  see  how  to  better  his  own 
sermons.  We  find  an  editorial  on  preachers'  apolo- 
gies, that  shows  he  had  given  keen  thought  to  the 
matter.  Another  brief  editorial  so  clearly  gives 
his  convictions  on  how  a  preacher  may  become  a 
success,  that  it  is  well  worth  quoting  in  full : 

"  The  success  of  a  preacher  depends  a  good 
deal  upon  his  earnestness,  and  he  can  only  be  deep- 
ly in  earnest  as  he  has  real  positive  convictions  of 
the  truth.  If  the  minister  have  no  such  convic- 
tions he  will  never  be  able  to  impress  the  truth 
upon  others.  Only  as  you  believe,  yourself,  what 
you  have  to  say,  will  you  be  able  to  make  others  be- 
lieve your  words.  If  you  are  to  lead  others  to 
Christ,  you  must  have  a  deep,  earnest  conviction  of 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  yourself.  A  mere  opin- 
ion, or  assent  to  the  truth,  will  not  do.  Half-heart- 
ed statements  from  the  minister  only  produce  in- 
difference among  his  hearers.  To  tell  your  con- 
gregation that,  if  what  you  are  saying  be  not  the 
truth,  you  are  ready  to  accept  the  views  of  some 
one  else  tomorrow,  is  to  place  your  statement  at 
a  discount,  and  it  shows  that  you  are  not  ready  to 
preach.  WThat  you  want,  what  all  ministers  want, 
is  to  have  a  conviction  that  what  they  are  telling  is 
the  truth  and  that  there  can  be  no  mistake  about  it. 
The  minister  needs  this  more  than  the  polish  of  an 
education.  Men  impelled  by  conviction  have,  in  all 
ages  of  the  world,  become  leaders.  Moody,  the 
evangelist,  paid  but  little  attention  to  the  rules 
of  grammar  in  speaking,  and  yet  he  has  held  mul- 


106  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

titudes,  in  the  Old  and  New  Worlds,  entranced,  not 
by  his  fine  diction  or  his  eloquence,  but  by  his  ear- 
nestness. To  listen  to  him  is  to  come  away  im- 
pressed with  the  fact  that  he  is  in  earnest,  and  that 
he  believes  in  his  heart  every  word  that  he  utters, 
and  this  is  the  secret  of  his  wonderful  influence 
over  men  and  women.  Education  is  helpful,  but 
above  and  beyond  all  we  want  earnest  heart  con- 
victions of  the  truth  before  we  are  prepared  to 
preach  God's  Word." 

A  year  after  being  elected  to  the  ministry, 
he  was  made  elder. 

During  this  period,  he  was  active  in  the  af- 
fairs of  the  Northern  District  of  Illinois.  In  1887 
he  was  writing  clerk  at  the  District  Meeting.  Dur- 
ing the  following  year  he  often  held  office  and  took 
a  leading  part  in  the  questions  of  the  day. 

Every  year  he  attended  the  Annual  Con- 
ference. His  first  experience  was  at  Waterloo, 
Iowa,  in  1870.  He  writes  thus : 

"  I  was  impressed  with  the  discussion  of  the 
various  questions.  One  was  on  life  insurance. '  I 
had  my  life  insured,  and  the  church  at  Pine  Creek, 
Illinois,  insisted  that  I  should  give  it  up.  Confer- 
ence, at  that  time,  had  made  no  decision  on  the 
question.  Pine  Creek  took  a  query  through  Dis- 
trict Conference  to  Annual  Conference.  I  promised 
that  if  the  Conference  General  decided  against  it 
I  would  give  it  up.  It  was  fully  discussed  at  Wa- 
terloo. Brother  Quinter  made  a  strong  speech 
against  forbidding  life  insurance,  and  I  sat  under 
the  sound  of  his  eloquent  voice  with  cheeks  wet 
with  tears.  I  shall  never  forget  that." 


EEUGIOUS  ACTIVITIES  IN  THE  EIGHTIES      107 

D.  L.  lived  through  the  period  when  the  An- 
nual Conference  changed  from  a  relatively  small 
business  session  into  a  large  and  enthusiastic  con- 
vention. Each  year  the  accounts  of  the  Conference 
in  the  Messenger  became  brighter  and  more  in- 
teresting. Special  meetings  came  in  for  their  share 
of  interest.  In  1887,  at  the  Conference  in  Kansas, 
the  educational  and  missionary  meetings  made  a 
deep  impression  on  him.  He  came  home  very 
enthusiastic  about  the  meeting,  as  well  as  about 
the  land  in  the  West,  which  he  had  seen  for  the 
first  time. 

Through  the  columns  of  the  Messenger  D.  L. 
made  every  effort  to  increase  the  interest  of  the 
Brotherhood  in  the  Annual  Conference.  Some 
thought  that  too  many  people  were  attending  the 
meeting  and  that  the  crowds  should  be  cut  down. 
D.  L.  believed  that  the  more  members  attended 
Conference,  the  better  off  the  church  would  be,  and 
stated  his  position  clearly.  He  likewise  stood  for 
no  more  work  than  was  necessary  on  Sunday,  and 
for  no  secular  business  on  the  Conference  grounds. 
On  every  occasion  he  threw  his  influence  with  those 
who  sought  to  make  the  Conference  a  thoroughly 
religious  and  spiritually  inspiring  meeting. 

That  D.  L.  was  rapidly  becoming  one  of  the 
leaders  at  the  Conference  was  evidenced  by  the 
fact  that  he  was  placed  on  investigating  commit- 


108  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

tees — one  in  1888  to  the  churches  in  Texas  and 
again  in  189Q,  to  McPherson  College,  Kansas. 

In  the  fall  of  1887  D.  L.'s  eyes  became 
weakened  from  the  constant  work  of  the  previous 
three  years,  and  the  doctor  ordered  a  complete  rest. 
He  and  his  wife  started  for  Southern  California 
to  spend  their  first  winter  there.  He  greatly  en- 
joyed the  trip,  particularly  the  pleasant  weather 
and  the  delicious  fruits  and  vegetables,  which  were 
to  be  had  during  the  winter.  His  time  was  not 
spent  in  rest  alone,  for  he  continued  to  dictate 
weekly  editorials  for  the  Messenger.  He  spent 
some  time  preaching  and  also  investigated  the  land, 
for  at  that  time  many  Brethren  were  moving  to 
California,  and  great  tales  of  the  wealth  and  pros- 
perity of  the  country  were  circulated.  D.  L.'s  ac- 
count of  it  was  very  temperate,  with  due  allowance 
for  the  enthusiasm  of  the  agents  with  whom  he 
talked.  He  made  every  effort  to  keep  up  his  cor- 
respondence. His  wife  did  all  the  writing  and 
reading  for  him,  but  even  with  this  able  help  he 
was  unable  to  do  as  much  as  he  desired  to  do.  By 
spring  his  eyes  were  much  improved,  so  they  re- 
turned to  Mount  Morris  and  the  duties  of  the  edi- 
torial office. 

In  1884  D.  L.  was  appointed  as  one  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  first  General  Church  Erection  and  Mis- 
sionary Committee.  At  the  first  meeting,  in  1884, 
he  was  appointed  secretary  and  treasurer.  Up  to 


KELJGIOUS  ACTIVITIES  IN  THE  EIGHTIES      109 

this  time  there  had  been  little  missionary  senti- 
ment in  the  church.  A  mission  in  Denmark  had 
been  established,  with  Brother  Christian  Hope  at 
the  head  of  it.  On  his  trip  to  Europe,  D.  L.  and  his 
wife  had  spent  several  weeks,  visiting  the  various 
churches,  and  his  heart-warming  accounts  of  the 
mission  and  Brother  Hope's  work  had  stirred  the 
church  in  favor  of  missions.  Doubtless  his  interest 
in  the  mission  had  caused  him  to  be  appointed  on 
this  committee.  It  was  the  beginning  of  his  active 
missionary  work  and  of  missions  in  the  church  as 
well.  The  minutes  of  the  first  meeting  of  the  com- 
mittee show  how  light  the  work  was  at  that  time : 
"  First  regular  meeting  of  the  General  Mis- 
sion Board  was  held  in  the  i  Old  Sandstone,'  June 
14,  1884.  The  minutes  show  the  names  of  those 
present:  Enoch  Eby,  foreman;  Daniel  Vaniman, 
vice-foreman ;  D.L.  Miller,  secretary  and  treasurer ; 
Samuel  Riddlesparger  and  Collin  Rowland.  Busi- 
ness transacted:  Denmark  called  for  help.  The 
mission  there  is  in  need.  Sweden  and  Germany 
also  want  help  to  start  missions.  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
also  wants  funds,  and  calls  came  from  Gainesville 
and  Weatherford,  Texas,  for  preachers.  The 
treasurer  did  not  have  money  to  answer  these  calls. 
The  work  in  Texas  was  placed  in  the  hands  of 
Brother  Daniel  Vaniman,  with  power  to  act,  and 
he  acted  at  his  own  expense.  The  missionary  plan 
was  ordered  to  be  printed  in  the  Messenger  and 
circulars  are  to  be  sent,  containing  the  same,  to  all 
the  elders  in  the  Brotherhood.  Secretary  to  se- 
cure suitable  books  for  records. 

"  Signed,  D.  L.  Miller." 


110  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

The  treasurer  reported  money  received  to  date 
as  follows : 

Mary  A.  Miller,  Md $1.00 

Abram  Miller,  Md 1.00 

C.  M.  Wenger,  Ind 1.00 

J.  M.  Gabel,  Iowa 1.00 

J.  H.  Moore,  Fla 1.04 

J.  B.  Sellers,  Ind 50 

Daniel  Brower,  Iowa 50 

Daniel  Zellers,  111 50 

A  Brother,  A.  M 1.00 

Daniel  Stover,  111 40 


$7.94 

Not  a  very  imposing  list  of  contributors,  when 
compared  with  a  report  of  today,  but  it  was  a  be- 
ginning. 

Through  the  Messenger,  D.  L.  constantly  urged 
missions,  missions,  missions !  During  those  years 
Brother  Hope's  wife's  health  failed  and  he  was 
compelled  to  return  to  America.  A  fund  of  $3,000 
was  raised  to  buy  a  home  for  him.  Almost  every 
week  D.  L.  would  have  on  the  editorial  page  some 
account  of  Brother  Hope,  or  his  work.  His  own 
vital  interest  in  the  matter  could  not  help  but  in- 
crease the  interest  of  the  Brotherhood.  And  it 
did.  At  the  end  of  the  first  three  years  the  mission 
receipts  amounted  to  $12,000.  Brother  Galen  B. 
Eoyer,  in  "Two  Centuries  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,"  gives  this  description  of  those  days : 

"  Those  were  the  days  that  the  treasurer 
thought  it  of  sufficient  importance  when  he  received 


EELIGIOUS  ACTIVITIES  IN  THE  EIGHTIES     111 

two  or  three  letters  in  one  day,  concerning  mis- 
sions, to  make  mention  of  it,  and  a  total  receipt, 
of  any  one  day,  looking  toward  one  hundred  dol- 
lars, was  a  matter  of  unusual  rejoicing." 

By  1888  the  work  of  the  secretary  and  treas- 
urer had  increased  so  much  that  Galen  B.  Eoyer 
was  appointed  assistant. 

At  the  Annual  Conference  in  Kansas,  in  1887, 
a  plan  for  an  endowment  fund  was  first  presented 
to  the  Brotherhood.  Of  this  paper  D.  L.  wrote  at 
that  time : 

"A  paper  was  presented,  asking  that  the  Gen- 
eral Church  Erection  and  Missionary  Committee 
be  allowed  to  accept  donations  for  an  endowment 
fund.  This  paper  passed.  This  is,  in  my  opinion,  one 
of  the  most  important  papers  that  came  before  this 
Annual  Meeting.  It  will,  if  carried  into  effect,  re- 
sult in  setting  apart  a  sum  of  money  for  the  work 
of  the  church  that  will  be  felt  in  ages  to  come. 
Many  of  our  brethren  and  sisters,  whom  the  Lord 
has  blessed  with  means,  desire  to  set  apart  some  of 
it  for  the  missionary  and  tract  work.  This  they 
can  now  do,  with  the  assurance  that  the  principal 
will  not  be  spent,  and  that  the  interest  accruing 
from  it  will  be  used  in  spreading  the  Gospel.  They 
may  thus  place  a  sum  of  money  into  the  hands  of 
the  church  which  will  go  on  working  for  the  cause 
of  Christ,  until  the  church  below  is  united  with  the 
church  above." 

So,  by  the  end  of  1890,  when  D.  L.  began  to 
plan  another  trip  abroad,  we  find  that  he  had  spent 
six  successful  years  as  editor  of  the  Messenger, 


112  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

his  efforts  in  the  ministry  had  been  formally  ap- 
proved by  his  being  elected  a  bishop,  he  had  be- 
come a  person  of  influence  in  his  own  State  Dis- 
trict, and  likewise  at  Annual  Conference,  and  he 
had  fathered  the  cause  of  missions,  until  the  yearly 
receipts  were  in  the  thousands  of  dollars,  instead 
of  the  hundreds. 


GRIP   AND   FRITZ 


THEIR  FIRST  MOl'XT  MORRIS  HOME 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  NEW  HOME 

ON  their  return  from  their  first  trip  abroad, 
in  1884,  D.  L.  and  his  wife  bought  a  home 
in  the  southern  part  of  Mount  Morris. 
After  five  years  of  life  in  the  dormitory,  and 
a  long  journey  abroad,  they  greatly  enjoyed  fixing 
up  a  place  of  their  own  once  more.  They  had 
bought  a  good-sized  house  with  large  rooms.  These 
were  simply  but  comfortably  furnished  with  sub- 
stantial articles,  the  most  of  which  they  used 
throughout  their  married  life.  Especial  arrange- 
ments were  made  to  entertain  company.  Their 
guest  room  was  always  ready  to  receive  the  unex- 
pected visitor,  for  never  was  any  embarrassment 
felt  in  adding  a  seat  or  two  at  the  table.  Shortly 
a  barn  was  built  to  accommodate  a  horse,  one  of 
whose  duties  was  to  go  to  and  from  the  station 
with  the  many  visitors  they  had.  My  mother  tells 
an  amusing  sory  of  their  first  horse,  bought  in  Mt. 
Morris,  called  Billy: 

"  Billy  was  recommended  to  father  as  being 
such  a  good  looker  and  yet  perfectly  gentle.  The 
first  time  father  hitched  this  animal  up  he  was  all 
that  could  be  expected.  Mother  drove  him  the  next 
time  and  he  was  great.  Father  thought  he  had  a 

113 


114  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

jewel.  The  third  time,  Billy  was  ready  to  start 
before  father  was  and  so  he  was  stopped  short  with 
the  lines.  Then  father  got  into  the  phaeton  and 
told  Bill  to  go,  but  Bill  would  not  and  did  not.  At 
the  last,  the  entire  neighborhood  was  there  trying 
to  get  Bill  out  of  his  tracks.  Finally,  after  the 
train  had  come  and  gone,  Bill  decided  to  start 
down  the  street  at  a  breakneck  speed." 

Brother  Howard  Miller  named  this  home 
"  Saints'  Best,"  and  D.  L.  once  spoke  of  it  as  sort 
of  a  "  Dunker  Hotel."  Their  company,  whether  in- 
vited or  uninvited,  was  always  welcome.  Here  came 
the  homesick  students  for  the  comforts  of  a  real 
home.  Here  stopped  the  many  ministers  when  in 
Mount  Morris,  either  on  business  with  the  Publish- 
ing Company  or  in  the  interests  of  the  school.  Here 
came  their  ever-increasing  number  of  friends  to 
visit  with  them  and  renew  old  acquaintance.  And 
here  they  entertained  at  many  special  dinners  and 
gave  numerous  social  evenings  for  their  friends. 

Their  home  was  ever  peaceful  and  restful.  No 
one  seemed  to  be  in  much  of  a  hurry,  and  yet  the 
work  was  always  done.  The  garden  and  lawn 
were  kept  just  so.  Even  the  barn  was  immaculate. 
In  the  large  grape  arbor  at  the  back  of  the  yard 
the  ground  was  scraped  until  it  was  like  a  walk, 
and  not  a  weed  dared  show  itself  above  the  surface, 
while  the  flower  garden  was  always  one  of  the 
beauty  spots  of  the  town. 

My  younger  brother,  D.  L.,  and  I  spent  many 
happy  hours  in  this  home.  We  must,  in  a  small 


THE  NEW  HOME  115 

way,  have  taken  the  place  of  the  children  that  were 
lacking  there.  In  those  days  D.  L.  and  his  wife 
were  "  Fadder  "  and  "  Damma  "  to  us.  And  no 
matter  how  busy  our  dear  Fadder  and  Damma 
were,  they  took  time  to  amuse  and  help  us.  Damma 
made  clothes  and  gave  us  cookies  and  big  slices 
of  bread  and  butter.  Mary  Lair,  who  lived  with 
them  so  many  years  and  who  was  our  Aunt  Mamie, 
informed  us  for  the  first  time  that  we  had  tin  pans 
and  drums  in  our  ears.  I  was  somewhat  skeptical 
of  the  truth  of  this,  but  D.  L.  believed  it  and  it 
worried  him  greatly.  And  Mamie  could  take  her 
teeth  out!  That  was  a  never-ending  source  of 
wonderment  to  us.  We  were  allowed  to  go  into  the 
sitting  room,  where  everything  was  so  orderly,  and 
smooth  the  silk  tassels  on  the  portieres,  or  sink  in- 
to the  depths  of  the  sofa  and  feel  the  richness  of  its 
cushions.  How  careful  we  were  not  to  hurt  any- 
thing! 

But  when  we  went  into  the  library  restraint 
was  gone.  There  sat  our  dear  Fadder  by  the  north 
window  at  his  desk,  writing.  He  always  looked 
up  with  a  smile.  I  cannot  now  remember  what 
he  would  say  to  us,  but  the  smile  on  his  face  is  still 
plain  to  me.  He  would  turn  around  and  hold  out 
his  arms  and  we  would  go  to  him.  Then  we  were 
allowed  to  look  at  a  great  book — a  dictionary,  I 
think — with  many  pictures  of  animals  in  it.  We 
called  it  the  "Animal  Book."  Or  we  might  be  feel- 
ing sick,  and  out  would  come  the  pill  bottle,  kept 


116  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

especially  for  our  benefit.  It  contained  many 
colored  candy  pills.  It  was  remarkable  how  often 
we  were  sick  and  how  quickly  we  recovered.  If  we 
became  very  ill  and  the  pill  bottle  did  not  do  the 
work,  we  had  to  be  vaccinated.  This  was  a  very 
serious  operation.  First,  our  arms  were  scraped 
with  a  knife  and  then  red  ink  was  applied.  This 
was  a  sure  cure  for  anything.  Then  there  was  the 
"  bender."  This  was  a  tape  line,  probably  fifteen 
feet  long.  D.  L.  used  to  hold  to  the  end  of  it  while 
Fadder  wound  it  up  slowly,  telling  D.  L.  all  the 
time  to  watch  out.  And  when  the  end  came  D.  L. 
was  grabbed,  hugged  and  tickled.  Then  Fadder 
would  take  us  out  into  the  garden  and  let  us  smell 
the  hyacinths,  if  that  were  the  season,  or  roll  us 
down  the  terraces,  or  if  it  were  fall  we  would  be 
given  a  bunch  of  white  grapes  off  the  vine  that  grew 
up  over  the  barn.  When  we  were  especially  good 
we  were  allowed  to  play  on  the  saddle  or  be  in  the 
barn  by  ourselves.  We  loved  our  dear  Fadder  and 
Damma  and  they  loved  us. 

They  always  had  pets  in  their  home.  There 
were  dogs  and  cats  and  birds  of  various  kinds ;  ca- 
naries, a  red  bird  and  a  pair  of  mocking  birds,  and 
later  several  parrots.  Grip  and  Fritz  were  the  most 
famous  of  the  cats  and  dogs.  Grip  came  to  the 
home  a  poor,  starved  little  kitten,  during  the  year 
when  la  grippe  was  so  bad,  about  1890.  My  mother 
and  Mary  Lair  were  sick  in  bed  with  that  malady, 
and  Damma  was  nursing  them  and  caring  for  D. 


THE  NEW  HOME  117 

L.,  who  was  only  a  baby.  One  day  she  made  chick- 
en soup  for  the  invalids  and  carried  the  bones  out 
to  scatter  on  the  snow,  thinking  some  dog  or  cat 
might  get  them.  And  sure  enough,  as  she  poured 
them  out  this  little  kitten  crawled  from  under  the 
woodpile,  nearly  starved  and  half  frozen,  a  most 
woebegone-looking  animal  with  sore  eyes.  She 
picked  him  up  and  carried  him  in  to  show  the  in- 
valids. They  cried :  "  Oh,  take  it  out.  It  makes 
me  sick  to  see  it."  So  she  took  it  out  and  gave  it 
a  bath  in  warm  water  and  wrapped  it  up  and  put 
it  under  the  stove.  The  little  thing  lived  and  grew 
into  a  beautiful  cat  and  was  called  Grip  because 
he  came  when  they  were  all  sick. 

Of  Fritz  the  following  is  taken  from  a  letter : 

"  You  recall  my  dog  '  Unser  Fritz.'  He  was  the 
great  pet  of  my  life.  I  thought  a  lot  of  him  and  he 
had  about  as  much  sense  as  some  people.  Elder  L. 
W.  Teeter  spent  a  week  or  two  in  our  home,  read- 
ing over  his  '  Commentary.'  He  came  to  know 
Fritz  well,  and  before  he  left  us  he  said  one  day, 
'  It's  a  shame  to  call  that  intelligent  little  fellow  a 
dog.' ' 

There  is  another  story  told  of  Billy  the  balky 
horse  by  my  mother : 

"  Once  we  had  him  at  the  love  feast  at  Silver 
Creek.  He  stopped  right  in  the  road  where  all 
had  to  pass,  only  there  was  no  passing  room  where 
Bill  concluded  to  stop.  It  was  night  and  the  crowd 
behind  kept  calling  to  move  on,  but  we  could  not 
move  on  with  a  balky  horse.  A  young  man  came  up 
and  examined  his  nose  by  pinching  it,  and  called  to 


118  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

those  behind,  saying  that  they  should  have  pa- 
tience, as  there  was  a  sick  horse  there.  Then  all 
at  once  Bill  started,  as  he  always  did  after  a  spell 
like  that,  at  a  breakneck  speed.  It  was  then  discov- 
ered that  the  hitch  strap  was  down,  but  we  were 
afraid  to  stop  to  tie  it  up,  lest  Bill  should  decide  not 
to  go  again.  We  called  back  to  the  people  behind  us 
for  help,  but  they  were  all  women.  They  in  turn 
called  back  to  the  next  buggy,  and  a  young  man 
came  hurrying  forward  and  tied  up  the  strap,  with 
Bill  on  the  go.  And  he  did  go  after  that  strap  was 
up,  for  patience  was  worn  to  a  frazzle.  I  think  I  am 
safe  in  saying  that  that  horse  was  the  only  thing 
that  caused  Father's  eyes  to  flash  with  anger  dur- 
ing all  the  years  that  I  lived  with  him.  At  least, 
the  only  times  I  saw  him  angry." 

He  always  loved  his  home  and  all  the  things 
that  went  with  it,  and  yet  his  duties  called  him 
away  from  it  so  often.  In  his  letters  and  writings 
he  frequently  referred  to  the  joy  of  the  homecom- 
ing and  compared  it  to  the  time  when  he  should  be 
called  to  his  long  home. 


CHAPTEE  XV 

SECOND  TRIP  ABROAD  •  / 

AFTER  his  first  trip  abroad,  D.  L.  said  that 
lie  never  expected  to  make  another,  but 
he  could  not  foresee  what  the  years  would 
bring.  His  interest  in  foreign  lands,  and  especially 
the  Holy  Land,  never  abated.  His  library  filled  up 
with  books  of  travel  and  the  best  authorities  on 
Palestine,  Egypt,  Greece  and  Italy.  After  hearing 
the  Miller-Sommer  debate,  in  which  the  doctrines 
of  the  church  were  discussed,  D.  L.  conceived  the 
idea  that  a  visit  to  the  Seven  Churches  of  Asia  and 
a  talk  with  the  bishops  and  priests  of  the  Greek 
Church  might  help  to  establish  more  firmly  the 
doctrines  which  our  church  held  so  dear.  He  con- 
sulted with  Brother  E.  H.  Miller,  who  urged  him 
to  make  the  trip.  Other  leaders  in  the  church 
thought  that  important  facts  might  be  gained  by 
such  a  journey,  so  gradually  D.  L.'s  thoughts  were 
turned  to  the  Holy  Land  and  he  commenced  to  plan 
a  second  tour.  He  bought  and  studied  many  vol- 
umes on  the  subject.  He  was  a  busy  man,  with 
many  duties  holding  him,  but  he  began  to  rid  him- 
self of  these.  Elder  J.  H.  Moore  was  secured  to  be 
office  editor  of  the  Messenger.  Thus,  gradually, 

119 


120  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

the  way  opened  and  definite  plans  were  laid  to 
make  the  trip  in  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  of 
1891. 

An  equally  important  motive  for  the  journey 
was  the  fact  that  the  churches  in  Denmark  and 
Sweden  long  had  been  asking  that  some  one  be 
sent  to  help  them  in  their  work  by  encouragement 
and  instruction  in  the  doctrines  of  the  church.  The 
District  Meeting  in  Denmark  and  Sweden  pre- 
sented a  special  request  to  the  Annual  Meeting 
that  D.  L.  and  Brother  Hope  be  sent  over  by  the 
Mission  Board  to  visit  them.  They  had  been  strug- 
gling alone  without  help  from  America  for  some 
years,  and  felt  the  need  of  keeping  in  closer  touch 
with  the  mother  church.  So  it  was  decided  that 
Brother  Hope  should  accompany  D.  L.  and  his  wife 
on  the  trip  and  spend  some  time  with  those  church- 
es. On  this  point,  and  especially  the  financial  side 
of  it,  D.  L.  wrote  in  the  Messenger  at  that  time : 

"  We  have  felt  that  some  one  ought  to  go,  and 
encourage  the  struggling  churches  in  Denmark  and 
Sweden,  but  as  to  our  going  there  were  hindrances 
in  the  way  that  were  not  to  be  easily  removed.  But 
now  the  way  seems  to  be  made  clear,  and,  if  the 
Lord  will,  wife  and  I  expect  to  leave  our  home  July 
6  on  a  mission  of  love  to  the  members  in  Denmark 
and  Sweden.  And  lest  there  be  misapprehension 
on  the  part  of  some,  we  wish  to  state  that  we  do 
not  go  out  at  the  expense  of  the  Missionary  Com- 
mittee. The  committee  has  requested  us  to  visit 
the  churches,  and  while  we  go  under  their  authori- 
ty, we  are  in  no  way  chargeable  to  them." 


SECOND  TRIP  ABROAD  121 

It  may  be  added  here  that  in  all  of  D.  L.'s  trips 
to  visit  the  missions  (and  he  continued  making 
periodical  trips  until  1904),  he  went  at  his  own 
cost.  His  expenses  on  these  trips,  as  well  as  the 
time  he  gave  to  the  visits,  should  be  considered  as 
an  outright  gift  to  the  missions  of  the  church.  It 
was  necessary  for  the  growing  and  struggling  mis- 
sions to  keep  in  touch  with  the  home  church,  and 
D.  L.  made  that  possible  with  no  burden  to  the  Mis- 
sion Board.  He  wrote  of  the  missions  for  the  Mes- 
senger, and  these  articles  stimulated  gifts  and  in- 
terest in  missions.  It  is  true  that  these  articles 
were  gathered  into  books  and  sold,  but  the  proceeds 
from  these  books  were  no  more  than  a  just  return 
for  the  time  and  money  spent  on  the  journeys. 

Of  the  places  he  expected  to  visit  he  says  in 
the  article  quoted  above : 

"After  spending  some  time  with  them  [mem- 
bers in  Sweden  and  Denmark]  we  expect  to  go  to 
Home,  stopping  at  London,  Paris,  and  other  places 
of  interest  on  the  way.  .  .  .  From  Kome  we  go 
by  way  of  Herculaneum,  Pompeii,  Brindisi,  where 
we  take  ship  for  Smyrna,  and  then  to  Ephesus,  Per- 
gamos,  Thyatira,  Sardis,  Philadelphia  and  Laodi- 
cea.  .  .  .  From  Smyrna  we  set  sail  for  Alexan- 
dria, Egypt,  where  we  expect  to  spend  some  time. 
We  will  go  to  Cairo,  visit  the  pyramids  and  the 
land  of  Goshen,  where  the  sons  of  Jacob  dwelt,  and 
where  they  were  evil  treated  and  held  in  bondage 
by  the  Pharaohs.  Then,  after  ascending  the  Nile 
to  the  first  cataract,  visiting  Luxor,  Thebes  and 
other  places  of  interest,  we  will  follow  the  route 


122  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MIL.LER 

of  the  Exodus  of  the  children  of  Israel  across  the 
desert  to  Mount  Sinai.  .  .  .  We  will  spend  some 
time  in  the  ancient  city  of  Jerusalem,  and  by  travel, 
research  and  investigation  become  better  ac- 
quainted with  the  lands  of  the  Bible  ...  It  is 
by  no  means  a  pleasure  trip.  Traveling  in  the 
East,  as  we  have  learned  by  past  experience,  is 
anything  but  pleasant.  Crossing  the  desert  on 
camels,  horseback  riding  in  Asia  Minor  and  Pales- 
tine, dwelling  in  tents  surrounded  by  the  half- 
civilized  tribes  of  the  desert,  is  not  like  taking  a 
trip  in  the  vestibuled  train  of  palace  coaches,  with 
dining-car  attachments,  across  the  American  con- 
tinent. The  idea  of  pleasure  must  be  left  out  of 
the  calculation,  and  that  of  sacrifice,  danger  and 
hard  work  taken  in.  Were  it  not  for  the  sacred 
associations,  connected  with  the  lands  of  the  Bible, 
and  the  importance  of  the  facts  to  be  gathered 
there,  showing  the  truth  of  God's  Book,  we  could 
not  be  induced  to  undertake  the  journey;  and  with 
this  object  in  view,  we  go,  trusting  in  the  Lord." 

I  quote  at  length  the  plans  for  this  trip,  for 
they  were  fated  never  to  materialize.  It  is  inter- 
esting, too,  to  notice  the  difference  in  the  plans  and 
preparations  for  this  trip  and  the  first  trip.  Here 
every  detail  is  laid  out  and  the  whole  carefully 
studied.  The  first  tour  to  Palestine  was  taken  as 
an  afterthought,  after  they  had  been  in  Germany 
for  some  time.  For  this  second  journey  he  knew 
what  he  had  to  face  and  prepared  for  it.  He  did 
not  make  the  trip  for  pleasure,  and  yet  it  is  true 
that  some  of  the  greatest  joys  in  life  come  from 


SECOND  TRIP  ABROAD  123 

facing  "  sacrifice,  danger,  and  hard  work  "  cheer- 
fully. 

After  much  study  and  elaborate  preparations, 
they  started  on  their  second  trip  Aug.  1, 1891,  sail- 
ing for  Bremen,  Germany,  on  the  steamer  Werra, 
from  New  York.  The  first  day  or  two  of  the  voy- 
age was  very  pleasant.  Then  they  entered  a  storm 
which  lasted  nearly  all  the  way  across.  As  the  let- 
ters relating  this  trip  have  never  been  collected  in 
book  form,  and  are  hidden  away  in  the  current 
numbers  of  the  Gospel  Messenger  of  that  year,  I 
quote  at  greater  length  from  them  in  order  to  pre- 
serve the  most  interesting  parts  to  readers  of  this 
day: 

"  Monday  morning  the  foghorn  sounded,  and 
we  entered  upon  a  period  of  storm,  rain  and  fog 
which  continues  up  to  this  writing,  Saturday,  Aug. 
8.  ...  A  gentleman  on  board,  who  had  crossed 
the  ocean  a  number  of  times,  said  this  was  the 
roughest  voyage  he  had  ever  made.  Many  of  the 
passengers  were  very  seasick,  and  some  suffered 
terribly.  Wife  had  her  share  of  this  distressing 
malady,  but  the  writer  escaped  with  but  few  of 
the  incipient  symptoms.  It  is  singular  that  the 
medical  fraternity  have  discovered  no  remedy  for 
seasickness.  The  enterprising  physician  who  will 
find  a  preventative  or  a  remedy  will  not  only  prove 
to  be  a  public  benefactor,  but  will  at  once  find  him- 
self in  the  possession  of  a  large  fortune.  Wife's 
remedy  is  a  sure  one,  but  it  doesn't  meet  all  the 
emergencies.  It  is  expressed  in  four  words,  *  Stay 
off  the  sea.' 


124  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

"  We  read  over  and  over  again  the  psalmist's 
description  of  a  storm  at  sea,  and  we  are  sure  that 
it  was  written  in  the  light  of  personal  experience. 
David,  doubtless,  had  gone  down  to  the  sea  in  ships 
and  passed  through  an  experience  somewhat  like 
we  have  the  last  six  days,  when  he  wrote :  l  They 
that  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships,  that  do  business 
in  great  waters ;  these  see  the  works  of  the  Lord, 
and  his  wonders  in  the  deep.  For  he  commandeth, 
and  raiseth  the  stormy  wind,  which  lifteth  up  the 
waves  thereof.  They  mount  up  to  the  heaven, 
they  go  down  again  to  the  depths:  their  soul  is 
melted  because  of  trouble.  They  reel  to  and  fro  and 
stagger  like  a  drunken  man,  and  are  at  their  wits' 
end.  Then  they  cry  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble, 
and  he  bringeth  them  out  of  their  distresses.  He 
maketh  the  storm  a  calm,  so  that  the  waves  there- 
of are  still.  Then  are  they  glad  because  they  be 
quiet ;  so  he  bringeth  them  unto  their  desired  ha- 
ven. Oh  that  men  would  praise  the  Lord  for  his 
goodness,  and  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  chil- 
dren of  men !' ' 

They  arrived  safely  in  their  "  haven  "  at  Bre- 
men and  started  at  once  for  Copenhagen,  where 
they  were  met  by  Brother  Christian  Hansen,  and 
from  there  began  their  visit  to  the  churches  in  Den- 
mark and  Sweden.  Brother  Hope  was  along  as 
interpreter.  On  the  first  night  in  Copenhagen  D. 
L.  had  his  initial  experience  in  preaching  through 
an  interpreter.  He  found  it  difficult,  but  soon  be- 
came used  to  it.  Doubtless  the  interested  audi- 
ences helped  him  in  that.  Everywhere  the  mem- 
bers came  for  miles  to  listen  and  seemed  never  to 


SECOND  TRIP  ABROAD  125 

tire  of  the  services.  They  would  walk  from  five 
to  ten  miles  to  the  meeting  and  think  nothing  of 
it.  And  they  expected  a  like  feat  from  their  visi- 
tors. 

The  visits  among  the  churches  were  pleasantly 
interrupted  by  a  trip  to  Lapland.  They  made  the 
trip  in  a  small  boat,  whose  captain  was  so  accom- 
modating that  he  gave  a  special  side  trip  up  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  fiords  along  the  coast.  Then 
back  again  they  came  and  finished  visiting  among 
the  churches,  spending  about  two  months  in  that 
work.  At  last  the  parting  day  arrived.  Follow- 
ing is  a  portion  of  Brother  Hope's  account  of  that 
separation : 

"  When  the  morning  of  Sept.  29, 1891,  dawned 
on  Vanneberga,  Sweden,  the  members  had  already 
arranged  for  a  meeting  in  John  Olsson's  room,  for 
it  was  not  only  the  day  for  the  departure  of  Broth- 
er and  Sister  Miller,  but  also  Sister  Miller's  forty- 
third  birthday.  Like  children  for  a  dear  mother, 
so  the  members  also  thought  of  making  the  day  a 
pleasant  one.  The  time  was  spent  in  devotion  and 
useful  work  until  noon,  when  the  time  for  parting 
came.  .  .  ." 

Then  D.  L.  and  his  wife  made  a  short  talk, 
and  were  followed  by  each  member  there,  thank- 
ing each  other  for  mutual  benefits  and  wishing 
God's  blessing  on  all.  Brother  Hope  continues : 

"  The  meeting  was  closed  by  the  remarks  of  a 
brother,  who  called  to  mind  the  fact  that  God  had 
once  used  Brother  D.  L.  Miller  and  wife,  though  not 
then  in  official  position,  to  save  the  mission  from 


126  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

threatening  destruction.  He  thanked  them  for 
that  and  told  them  now  they  had  come  a  second 
time  as  officials,  had  seen  all  the  perfections  and 
imperfections  of  the  work,  and  its  future  wants. 
He  made  an  earnest  appeal  to  them  never  to  for- 
get this  mission,  whose  life  they  had  saved  for 
healthy  development.  .  .  . 

"  Next  we  had  a  season  of  prayer,  and  on  clos- 
ing, Brother  Miller  stood  up  and  said,  'While 
praying,  I  was  strongly  impressed  we  should  go 
out  and  locate  the  meetinghouse,  and  drive  the 
stakes  for  it  at  a  suitable  place.  I  feel  confident 
you  will  get  the  house,  and  on  this,  our  parting 
moment,  we  will  dedicate  the  place.' 

"Accordingly,  all  went  out  to  Brother  John 
Olsson's  field,  not  far  from  his  house  in  Vanne- 
berga,  close  to  the  main  road,  in  a  little  grove,  on 
which  all  united  that  the  stakes  should  be  driven. 
This  was  done  by  Brother  and  Sister  Miller,  and 
the  place  was  dedicated  by  prayer  of  Brother  D. 
L.  Miller  and  the  writer." 


CHAPTEE  XVI 

THE  EETURN 

UPON  leaving  Denmark  they  went  south 
to  Schwarzenau  and  Halle,  their  former 
home  while  sojourning  in  Germany.  At 
Schwarzenau,  in  1708,  the  first  members  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  had  been  baptized.  By  the 
little  stream  where  this  had  taken  place,  P.  L. 
sat  and  wrote  a  long  letter  to  the  Messenger,  de- 
scribing the  country  and  reviewing  the  events  of 
that  early  period.  While  no  members  lived  there 
at  this  time,  the  place  was  sacred  to  him  as  having 
been  the  first  home  of  the  church. 

After  visiting  various  localities  of  interest  in 
Germany  they  went  to  London.  It  was  their  mis- 
fortune to  cross  the  English  Channel  in  one  of  the 
worst  storms  in  years.  D.  L.'s  first  account  of  it 
was  very  brief,  but  he  referred  to  it  again  and 
again,  and  often  in  later  life  recalled  the  terrors 
and  danger  of  that  trip.  The  nervous  shock  to  his 
wife  was  so  great  that  it  was  long  before  she  re- 
covered. He  writes  in  his  first  letter  after  the  oc- 
currence : 

"  It  was  our  misfortune  to  cross  the  English 
Channel  in  a  great  gale  which  occurred  on  the 

127 


128  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

night  of  Oct.  13.  The  London  papers  contained 
lengthy  accounts  of  the  destruction  wrought  by 
the  hurricane.  The  waves  broke  over  the  pier  and 
the  train  of  cars  which  was  standing  upon  it,  to 
convey  the  passengers  by  the  night  boat  to  London. 
Several  car  windows  were  broken  in  by  the  force 
of  the  waves.  The  passage  was  a  terrible  one  and 
the  landing  frightful.  Our  boat  was  washed  away 
from  the  pier  twice  before  she  was  moored,  and  we 
were  compelled  to  land  in  a  blinding  shower  of 
spray  and  sea  water.  The  water,  driven  by  the 
force  of  the  wind,  pelted  against  us  like  hail.  By 
the  assistance  of  the  seamen  we  finally  landed,  and, 
dripping  wet,  we  went  into  the  cold,  wet  cars  and 
were  whirled  off  toward  London.  Truly,  we  have 
been  in  perils  by  the  sea,  but  the  Lord  hath  hitherto 
helped  us  and  we  praise  his  name." 

His  motive  in  going  to  London  was  to  study 
the  records  regarding  the  Bible  in  the  British  Mu- 
seum. His  interest  was  ever  keen  to  prove  the 
truth  of  the  Bible  and  to  confirm  his  faith  in  the 
principles  of  the  church.  In  fact,  this  whole  trip 
was  planned  with  that  end  in  view.  To  show  with 
what  thoroughness  he  went  into  this  work,  the 
letter  describing  his  experiences  in  London  is 
quoted  below  at  length : 

"  Our  first  feeling  on  reaching  London  was 
one  of  oppressive  solitude  and  loneliness.  We 
were  entire  strangers,  set  down  in  the  midst  of  a 
great,  strange  city  at  midnight — strangers  in  a 
strange  land.  Our  exceedingly  unpleasant  experi- 
ence in  crossing  the  English  Channel  was  still 
fresh  upon  us.  We  were  wet  and  cold  from  the 


THE  EBTITRN  129 

drenching  received  at  Dover.  There  was  rain  and 
fog  everywhere.  It  was  gloomy  and  dismal  and 
dark  enough  to  suit  the  purpose  of  those  whose 
works  are  evil.  .  .  .  Wife's  illness  also  had  a 
tendency  to  deepen  the  feeling  of  loneliness,  and  it 
was  hard  to  shake  off,  but  when  she  was  able  to  get 
out,  we  soon  became  accustomed  to  the  place  and 
enjoyed  our  stay  as  well  as  could  be  expected. 

"  In  coming  to  London  we  had  a  special  object 
in  view.  Simple  sight-seeing  would  not  have  in- 
duced us  to  cross  the  English  Channel.  We  came 
here  to  see  and  study  the  world-renowned  collec- 
tions of  sculptured  marble,  of  engraved  stones,  of 
tablets,  and  cylinders,  inscribed  with  the  history  of 
Mesopotamia,  as  ancient  as  the  days  of  Abraham, 
and  of  the  colossal  statuary,  brought  from  the  ex- 
cavated palaces  of  Nineveh  and  Babylon.  To  us 
these  great  collections,  brought  together  by  the 
outlay  of  immense  sums  of  money,  have  been  the 
chief  center  of  attraction.  Here  we  have  the  privi- 
lege of  examining  the  clay  tablets  and  cylinders 
taken  from  the  library  of  Sennacherib  and  Sargon, 
his  father — two  of  the  great  kings  of  Nineveh. 
Here  are  books  twenty-seven  hundred  years  old, 
bearing  records  that  show  with  indisputable  testi- 
mony the  truth  of  the  Bible.  Here  we  saw  and  ex- 
amined the  old  Egyptian  book,  written  on  papyrus, 
as  old  as  the  days  of  Moses,  containing  at  least  a 
part  of  the  history  of  the  life  of  Jacob's  beloved  son 
Joseph  in  Egypt.  Here  is  the  Kosetta  stone,  which 
furnished  the  key  to  the  hieroglyphics,  and  which 
has  been  of  such  inestimable  value  in  the  study  of 
the  ancient  records  of  Egypt.  .  .  . 

"  There,  in  connection  with  these  collections, 
is  a  great  library  containing  one  and  a  half  mil- 


130  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

lions  of  volumes  with  one  of  the  largest  and  best- 
appointed  reading  rooms  in  the  world.  We  were 
admitted  to  the  reading  room  where  we  had  a  desk 
assigned  to  us,  and  where,  by  the  aid  of  a  catalog 
in  two  thousand  volumes,  we  were  enabled  to  secure 
free  such  books  as  we  needed  to  study  more  care- 
fully the  Assyrian,  Babylonian  and  Egyptian  an- 
tiquities. .  .  . 

"  The  Christian  world  owes  a  debt  of  grati- 
tude to  the  men,  who,  at  the  risk  of  life,  and  by  the 
expenditure  of  immense  sums  of  money,  have 
brought  these  records  of  the  truth  of  the  Bible  to- 
gether, and  have  spent  years  of  great  labor  in 
translating  and  arranging  them,  so  that  they  can 
now  be  read  in  all  the  modern  languages." 

In  a  later  communication  he  emphasizes  the 
importance  of  these  letters: 

"  Not  many  years  ago  unbelievers  were  assert- 
ing that  the  story  of  Joseph  and  the  bondage  of  the 
children  of  Israel  in  Egypt  was  a  myth,  but  these 
recent  discoveries  have  closed  the  mouths  of  this 
class  of  critics.  There  is  growing  up  now  another 
form  of  unbelief,  known  as  higher  criticism,  which 
asserts  that  in  some  essential  points  the  history  of 
the  Bible  is  in  error.  Among  this  school  of  critics 
are  men  who  profess  to  believe  in  some  parts  of  the 
Book.  One  of  these  days  the  spade  and  pickax  of 
the  Egyptian  and  Palestine  Exploration  Societies 
will  uncover  some  new  testimony  that  will  make 
these  critics  hide  their  faces  in  shame.  It  is  get- 
ting to  be  decidedly  unsafe  in  these  days  for  men 
to  risk  too  much  against  the  Bible:  the  buried 
records  show  their  errors. 


THE  EETURN  131 

"  May  not  this  be  God's  way  of  refuting  the 
tide  of  infidelity  that  has  been  sweeping  over  the 
land?  Every  honest  man  will  carefully  examine 
the  evidences,  and  a  careful  and  unprejudiced  ex- 
amination of  them  will  convince  the  skeptical,  if 
they  are  honest,  that  the  Bible  is  GOD'S  BOOK, 
and  that  it  is  THE  TRUTH." 

After  the  study  of  these  records  at  the  British 
Museum,  D.  L.  and  his  wife  had  planned  to  go  on 
to  Palestine  and  Egypt,  but  cholera  had  broken  out 
in  the  East  and  they  were  advised  that  it  was  un- 
safe to  make  the  journey.  Then,  too,  the  health  of 
his  wife  was  so  poor  that  it  was  decided  best  to  re- 
turn home.  It  was  a  keen  disappointment  to  give 
up  the  trip,  but  he  did  not  abandon  hopes  of  mak- 
ing it  at  some  future  time. 


CHAPTEE  XVII 

THIRD  TRIP  ABROAD 

WITHIN  a  year  after  the  return  from  Ms 
second  trip  abroad,  D.  L.  prepared  to 
make  a  third  journey  to  visit  the  lands 
he  had  failed  to  see  on  account  of  the  outbreak  of 
cholera  and  the  failure  of  his  wife's  health  on  the 
former  tour.  The  spring  and  summer  of  1892  were 
mainly  spent  in  further  study  and  preparation  for 
the  expedition.  However,  he  found  time  for  preach- 
ing, for  Bible  Land  talks  and  for  work  on  the  Hymn 
Book  Committee,  on  which  he  was  appointed  at 
the  Conference  at  Cedar  Eapids.  At  this  Confer- 
ence, too,  he  acted  on  Standing  Committee  and  was 
made  writing  clerk,  the  first  time  that  he  had  held 
such  an  important  position.  On  Missionary  Day, 
in  the  afternoon,  one  of  his  Bible  Land  talks  was 
delivered  to  an  interested  audience.  He  was  be- 
coming well  and  favorably  known  throughout  the 
church,  as  was  evidenced  by  these  positions  given 
him  at  the  Conference. 

For  some  years  there  had  been  a  constantly- 
increasing  interest  among  the  members  in  proving 
the  doctrines  of  the  church.  This  was  reflected  in 
the  columns  of  the  Messenger,  where  debates  and 

133 


134  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

articles  of  a  doctrinal  nature  appeared  weekly. 
As  has  already  been  stated,  D.  L.'s  desire  to  estab- 
lish the  fundamentals  of  the  faith  of  the  church 
had  grown  until  it  became  the  purpose  of  his  third 
trip  to  visit  churches  which  retained  similar 
practices,  and  to  investigate  the  material  proofs 
of  the  truth  of  the  Bible,  which  had  been  literally 
dug  up  out  of  the  earth  in  Egypt  and  Palestine. 
Beginning  Nov.  8,  1892,  an  extended  series  of  ar- 
ticles had  started  in  the  Messenger,  entitled  "Prim- 
itive Christianity,  as  Understood  and  Practiced  by 
the  Brethren."  They  ran  continuously  until  July 
17, 1894.  These  articles  were  intended  exhaustive- 
ly to  cover  every  phase  of  the  doctrines  of  the 
church,  explaining  and  giving  the  reasons  for  their 
practice.  D.  L.  wrote  the  first  four  articles  under 
the  title  of  "  Our  Keasons  for  Keceiving  the  Bi- 
ble as  the  Word  of  God,  and  Our  Only  Kule  of 
Faith  and  Practice."  With  the  Brotherhood  awak- 
ened, as  it  was  at  this  time,  to  defending  its  faith, 
D.  L.'s  trip  came  at  an  opportune  juncture  to  sus- 
tain and  satisfy  this  interest.  So  with  the  purpose 
of  further  illuminating  the  truth  of  the  Bible,  he, 
with  Brother  Joseph  Lahman,  set  out  Nov.  12, 1892, 
for  a  tour  of  Italy,  Egypt  and  Palestine. 

A  great  disappointment  in  connection  with 
the  journey  was  the  fact  that  his  wife  could  not 
go  with  him.  The  shock  to  her  nerves  from  the  pre- 
vious trip  had  been  so  severe  that  it  was  felt  best 
she  should  not,  within  so  short  a  period,  attempt 


THIRD  TRIP  ABROAD  135 

another  of  undoubted  fatigue  and  danger.     He 
wrote  at  that  time : 

"  Those  who  have  felt  the  bitter  pang  of  sepa- 
ration will  know,  others  can  only  imagine,  what 
this  journey  means  to  both  of  us.  With  a  brave 
heart,  she  said,  '  Go,  for  it  seems  to  be  best  that  I 
remain  at  home.'  And  today,  as  I  sail  out  upon 
the  broad  Atlantic,  I  realize  that  there  are  lonely, 
aching  hearts  at  home." 

He  made  many  sea  voyages  and  had  numerous 
occasions  for  describing  the  ocean,  and  on  this,  his 
fifth  trip  across  the  Atlantic,  he  so  well  pictures 
that  universal  fascination  in  the  mighty  deep, 
that  it  is  worth  quoting : 

"  The  great,  restless  ocean,  bearing  upon  its 
bosom  the  navies  and  the  commerce  of  the  world, 
has  always  had  an  absorbing  interest  for  humani- 
ty. To  those  who  stand  on  the  shore  and  listen  to 
the  dying  murmurs  of  the  waves  as  they  lose  them- 
selves on  the  sands  of  the  beach,  it  has  a  strange 
fascination  that  is  always  strong,  and  a  deep  in- 
terest that  is  ever  new.  To  those  who  go  down  to 
the  sea  in  great  ships,  there  is  an  added  concern. 
The  change  from  sunshine  to  clouds,  from  calm  to 
storm,  is  watched  with  wonderful  interest.  Then, 
too,  there  is  always  present  with  the  traveler  a 
dim,  vague  sense  of  uncertainty  as  to  what  the  sea 
has  in  store  for  him.  Many  of  the  works  of  the 
Lord  and  the  wonders  of  the  deep  are  revealed,  and 
yet  how  many  mysteries  are  buried  beneath  the 
blue  waves,  and  how  many  secrets  are  covered  by 
the  restless  waters,  never  to  be  revealed  until,  at 


136  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

the  command  of  him  who  holds  all  things  in  his 
hands,  the  sea  shall  give  up  her  dead !  " 

They  arrived  safely  in  Genoa,  and  after  spend- 
ing a  day  in  sight-seeing,  proceeded  by  way  of 
Pisa  to  Home.  Here  they  staid  slightly  more  than 
two  weeks,  visiting  the  ancient  city  with  more  than 
the  interest  of  ordinary  tourists.  The  Coliseum, 
the  Catacombs,  where  the  early  Christians  had  hid- 
den, the  Arch  of  Titus,  with  relief  figures  showing 
the  golden  candlesticks  and  revealing  indisputable 
proof  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  Titus  and 
the  bringing  of  the  holy  vessels  and  furniture  of  the 
temple  to  Home,  churches  and  cathedrals,  and 
many  other  places  were  viewed  in  an  effort  fur- 
ther to  increase  their  knowledge  of  the  history  of 
the  early  Christians.  In  chapter  three  of  "  Wan- 
derings in  Bible  Lands  "  D.  L.  gives  an  account  of 
Paul's  trip  to  Home,  which  is  so  real  that  every 
one  desiring  better  to  understand  and  really  to 
see  Paul  as  he  made  that  trip  would  do  well  to 
read  it. 

Leaving  Eome,  they  went  to  Naples,  Pompeii 
and  Herculaneum.  Of  course  they  visited  Mt. 
Vesuvius,  and  had  quite  an  adventure,  of  which 
D.  L.  wrote : 

"  We  made  two  attempts  at  reaching  the  top 
of  the  mountain  and  succeeded  in  getting  a  good 
view  of  the  top  on  Dec.  15.  Soon  after  leaving  the 
upper  station  we  noticed  light  wreaths  of  smoke 
issuing  from  the  crevices  along  our  upward  path- 
way. A  rumbling  noise,  resembling  distant  thun- 


THIRD  TRIP  ABROAD  137 

der,  was  heard  at  regular  intervals  and  we  had  an 
indistinct  feeling  that  the  mountain  quaked.  Our 
guide  said,  '  He,'  meaning  the  volcano,  '  working ; 
but  he  no  dangare.'  As  we  continued  our  upward 
course  the  smoke  increased  and  the  strong  fumes 
of  sulphur  emitted  were  distinctly  unpleasant.  At 
one  place  a  hole  in  the  rock  was  emitting  smoke  in 
puffs.  We  put  our  hand  in,  but  removed  it  at 
once.  It  was  quite  hot. 

"At  this  point  the  explosions  which  occur  at 
regular  intervals  in  the  crater  could  be  distinctly 
heard  and  the  tremor  of  the  mountain  felt.  Still 
higher,  the  smoke  and  sulphur  and  steam  grew 
thicker,  and  we  were  compelled  to  cover  mouth  and 
nose  with  handkerchiefs.  At  last  we  reached  the 
rim  of  the  crater,  and,  looking  down,  we  beheld  a 
fearful  sight.  We  thought  of  the  bottomless  pit. 
As  we  stood  looking  into  the  awful  abyss  there 
came  a  terrific  explosion.  The  mountain  shook. 
Great  masses  of  stone  and  lava  were  thrown 
high  into  the  air  and  fell  back  again  into 
the  restless  crater.  Great  tongues  of  bright 
red  flames  burst  through  the  dense  volumes 
of  smoke  that  rolled  upward  from  the  pit.  The 
scene  was  a  frightful  one  and  our  curiosity  to 
see  a  volcano  at  work  was  fully  gratified  in  a  very 
short  time.  The  guide  assured  us  that  there  was 
no '  dangare,'  but  we  went  away  to  a  point  of  great- 
er security,  where  we  watched  the  explosions  for 
some  time." 

After  spending  a  week  in  Naples  and  vicinity, 
they  sailed  for  Cairo  to  make  a  five  weeks'  tour  of 
Egypt.  They  visited  Cairo,  Memphis,  Heliopolis, 
Thebes  and  the  Pyramids.  The  Nile  Kiver,  with 


138  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

its  strange  boats  and  irrigating  system,  was  ex- 
amined and  described.  Leaving  places  of  interest 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Nile,  they  took  boat  and 
sailed  to  the  first  cataract.  From  there  they  re- 
embarked  in  a  small  boat  to  make  the  trip  to  the 
second  cataract.  At  Cairo  they  had  been  assured 
that  the  trip  south  of  the  first  cataract  was  per- 
fectly safe.  But  on  going  on  board  the  boat  they 
were  surprised  to  see  soldiers.  At  first  these  were 
thought  to  be  going  to  the  garrison  at  Wady  Haifa, 
but  later  it  was  discovered  that  they  were  for  the 
protection  of  the  passengers  on  the  boat.  Then  it 
was  learned  that  the  warlike  dervishes  had  made 
raids  at  Wady  Haifa,  killing  a  number  of  people. 
The  raiders  escaped  to  the  desert,  where  it  was  im- 
possible to  follow  them.  Therefore,  it  was  deemed 
wise  by  the  government  to  have  soldiers  accompany 
the  little  boat  on  its  cruise.  "  Had  we  known  of 
the  dangers  of  the  trip,  our  journey  would  have 
ended  at  Assuan  ( at  the  first  cataract) .  As  it  was, 
we  were  steaming  southward  to  Wady  Haifa  and 
must  make  the  best  of  the  situation."  Thus  he 
wrote,  showing  that  the  danger  was  very  real. 

They  made  the  trip  in  safety,  however,  and  re- 
turned to  Cairo,  from  which  place  they  visited  the 
land  of  Goshen  and  the  Bed  Sea,  and  followed  in 
part,  at  least,  the  course  of  the  Children  of  Israel 
in  the  wilderness.  This,  in  brief,  is  an  outline  of 
the  journey  through  Egypt.  It  would  be  impos- 
sible to  go  into  detail  telling  of  the  many  places 


THIRD  TRIP  ABROAD  139 

and  things  they  saw.  One  thing  was  kept  before 
his  readers,  and  that  was  the  fact  that  they  were 
seeing  on  every  hand  wonderful  evidences  which 
proved  the  truth  of  the  Bible.  He  constantly  quot- 
ed from  the  Bible  in  describing  the  sights  before 
him,  as  well  as  giving  the  best  authority  of  the 
time  in  explaining  the  meaning  of  inscriptions. 
His  letters  were  full  of  the  history  of  the  country 
and  explanations  of  the  customs  of  the  times.  Es- 
pecially did  he  describe  the  ways  of  embalming  and 
burial.  This  had  much  to  do  with  proving  many 
things  in  the  Bible,  for  by  their  methods  of  embalm- 
ing, and  the  custom  of  burying  articles  with  the 
dead,  have  been  made  many  discoveries  of  value  to 
modern  peoples. 

Several  events  of  unusual  importance,  on  the 
trip  are  well  worth  relating.  One  of  these  was  D. 
L.'s  visit  to  Ahmed  Abd  er-Kasul,  the  man  who  re- 
vealed the  burial  place  of  Seti  I.,  Kameses  II.,  and 
Menephthah.  Many  years  ago  the  mummies  had 
been  discovered  in  the  valley  of  the  tombs  of  the 
kings  at  Thebes.  But  before  this  visit  the  bodies 
had  mysteriously  disappeared  and  everything  mov- 
able had  been  taken  with  them.  It  was  all 
so  unusual  that  some  even  doubted  that  the  mum- 
mies had  really  existed.  Near  Thebes  lived  four 
brothers,  who  acted  as  guides.  In  1871  they  dis- 
covered the  resting  place  of  the  Pharaohs,  but  kept 
it  a  secret.  Periodically  they  visited  the  tomb  and 
brought  away  relics  to  sell  to  the  travelers  whom 


140  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

they  took  to  places  of  interest.  When  so  many 
genuine  relics  began  to  appear  in  the  hands  of  trav- 
elers at  Cairo,  the  authorities  became  interested 
and  watched  the  guides.  They  finally  arrested  and 
tortured  Ahmed,  one  of  the  four  brothers,  but  could 
get  no  information  from  him.  When  Ahmed  was 
freed,  the  four  brothers  held  a  council  of  war  over 
the  matter.  Part  of  them  felt  that  they  could  go 
ahead  with  the  sale  of  the  relics.  The  others  said 
they  would  be  so  closely  watched  that  it  would  be 
no  use.  Ahmed,  seeing  the  division  among  them 
and  knowing  that  their  traffic  was  at  an  end,  quiet- 
ly revealed  the  hiding  place  to  the  authorities.  D. 
L.  went  to  visit  Ahmed  during  his  stay  in  Thebes. 
His  own  dragomans  would  not  take  him,  for  Ahmed 
was  held  in  suspicion  and  was  feared  by  the  au- 
thorities. But,  undaunted,  D.  L.  secured  an  intelli- 
gent young  Arab  to  act  as  interpreter  and  set  out 
for  the  home  of  Ahmed  Abd  er-Kasul.  He  was 
kindly  received  by  the  old  man,  given  sweets  and 
coffee  and  his  questions  were  answered.  After  a 
short  call,  he  left.  But  this  was  not  the  last  he 
heard  of  the  Arab.  On  his  return  trip  down  the 
Nile,  a  brother  of  Ahmed  met  him  at  the  boat  with 
some  valuable  Egyptian  antiquities,  which  were 
given  to  D.  L.  as  a  remembrance  of  the  visit. 

That  D.  L.  took  more  than  a  passing  interest  in 
the  strange  customs  of  the  East  is  shown  by  a  little 
incident,  which  happened  while  walking  through  an 


THIRD  TRIP  ABROAD  141 

Ethiopian  village.  He  saw  a  woman  grinding 
beans  between  two  stones,  then  rubbing  water  in- 
to them  to  make  a  paste,  which  was  later  baked. 
He  wrote  thus : 

"  In  our  walk  through  the  village  we  saw  a 
woman  preparing  dough  to  be  made  into  thin  cakes 
and  baked  on  flat  stones  which  had  been  heated  in 
the  fire.  She  had  in  front  of  her  a  flat  stone  about 
two  feet  long  and  one  foot  wide,  which  constant 
use  had  worn  quite  smooth  and  slightly  hollow  in 
the  middle.  In  her  hand  she  held  a  flint  stone, 
flattened  on  the  under  side,  and  at  her  side  stood  a 
small  basket  of  beans  and  a  jar  of  water.  At  one 
end  of  the  stone  lay  a  small  piece  of  dirty  palm 
matting,  on  which  the  dough  fell.  Near  this  a  few 
live  embers  kept  a  little  smoke  rising  over  the 
stone.  She  put  a  handful  of  the  small  beans  on  the 
stone,  then  dipping  her  hand  in  the  dish  let  the 
water  drop  on  the  beans.  Grasping  the  smaller 
stone  with  both  hands  she  rubbed  the  mass,  add- 
ing a  little  water  occasionally,  until  it  was  con- 
verted into  a  coarse  paste.  .  .  .  The  smoke  is  in- 
tended to  keep  away  the  flies  and  other  insects 
but  we  noticed  that  a  number  of  flies  ventured  too 
close,  and  were  mercilessly  crushed  by  the  relent- 
less stone. 

"A  small  coin  as  backsheesh  gave  us  the  priv- 
ilege of  trying  our  hand  at  the  rubbing  and  grind- 
ing process.  We  found  that  it  required  much  hard 
work  and  skill  to  grind  the  beans  in  this  way.  It 
took  but  a  small  amount  of  exercise  of  this  kind 
to  gratify  our  curiosity,  and  we  retired  amidst  the 
suppressed  laughter  of  the  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren who  had  gathered  about  us  and  who  doubtless 


142  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

pitied  our  ignorance,  since  we  did  not  know  enough 
to  crush  beans  as  the  women  of  Ethiopia  do." 

On  their  return  to  Cairo,  D.  L.  visited  the 
archbishop  of  the  Coptic  Church,  a  branch  of  the 
early  Christian  Church,  which  broke  away  in  451 
over  a  contention  regarding  the  nature  of  Christ. 
Of  particular  interest  to  D.  L.  was  the  fact  that 
through  the  centuries  this  church  has  observed  the 
practices  of  trine  immersion,  feet- washing  and  the 
kiss  of  peace.  He  had  an  interesting  visit  with  the 
archbishop,  who,  according  to  the  Eastern  custom, 
served  him  with  sweetmeats  and  coffee,  and  an- 
swered all  of  his  questions  regarding  his  church. 
It  gave  D.  L.  a  great  deal  of  satisfaction  to  have 
an  interview  of  this  kind,  for,  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  the  Coptic  Church  had  adopted  some  customs 
which  were  not  biblical,  they  had  retained  intact 
through  the  ages  several  of  the  gospel  doctrines, 
and  thus  provided  him  with  further  assurance  and 
argument  of  their  truth  and  importance. 

He  visited  also  the  American  missions  in 
Cairo,  and  interviewed  the  heads  of  these  institu- 
tions. All  the  way  up  the  Nile,  the  work  of  the 
missions  had  been  noticed,  and  now  in  Cairo  he 
made  a  careful  study  of  the  results  of  mission  work. 
Undoubtedly  his  mind  was  already  formulating 
plans  for  the  enlargement  of  the  foreign  missions 
of  the  church. 

After  leaving  Egypt  they  visited  Palestine  and 
the  Seven  Churches  of  Asia.  Most  of  the  time  in 


THIRD  TRIP  ABROAD  143 

Palestine  was  spent  about  Jerusalem,  in  which  D. 
L.  was  particularly  interested.  He  noted  especially 
the  improvements  that  had  been  made  during  the 
nine  years  that  had  elapsed  between  his  first  and 
third  trips.  A  railway  had  been  built  between 
Joppa  and  Jerusalem,  and  a  pier  had  been  con- 
structed at  Joppa,  which  made  the  landing  less 
dangerous.  In  Jerusalem  many  new  buildings  had 
been  erected  outside  the  city  walls,  which  fact  was 
thought  by  some  to  be  a  direct  fulfillment  of  proph- 
ecies. (For  a  full  discussion  on  this  subject  turn 
to  page  566,  "  Wanderings  in  Bible  Lands.")  Feb. 
18,  1893,  they  left  Jerusalem  for  Smyrna,  sailing 
from  Joppa  almost  due  north  on  the  Mediterra- 
nean, and  encountering  on  the  way  a  storm  which 
nearly  drove  them  on  the  rocks  of  the  coast.  It  was 
his  first  experience  of  the  kind  on  that  usually 
calm  sea. 

With  Smyrna  as  headquarters,  they  journeyed 
to  Ephesus,  Pergamos,  Thyatira,  Sardis,  Philadel- 
phia, and  Laodicea,  where  were  located  the  seven 
churches  in  Asia  which  Paul  established  by  his 
missionary  efforts.  With  the  exception  of  Smyrna 
and  Ephesus,  these  places  were  outside  the  beaten 
line  of  travel  and  the  trip  was  really  dangerous, 
for  a  part  of  it  had  to  be  made  by  carriage  through 
a  country  infested  with  brigands.  They  were  told 
that  only  two  Americans  had  made  the  tour  before 
—Dr.  J.  W.  McGarvey,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  in 
1879,  and  John  Lemley  of  Albany,  New  York,  in 


144  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

1891.  They  were  able  to  make  the  journey  safely, 
however,  and  without  unusual  incident.  With 
deep  interest  they  inspected  the  really  wonderful 
ruins  of  these  ancient  cities,  and  D.  L.'s  heart  was 
filled  with  a  longing  to  bring  the  primitive  Chris- 
tianity again  to  these  people  whom  Paul  had  ex- 
horted so  many  centuries  ago. 

In  Jerusalem  they  had  arranged  through  their 
dragoman,  Mr.  Tadros,  for  an  interview  with  the 
patriarch  of  the  Greek  Church,  known  as  "  His 
Beatitude  Girasimo,  Patriarch  of  the  Church  of 
Jerusalem  and  Syria."  They  were  most  kindly  re- 
ceived by  him,  were  given  the  usual  refreshments, 
and  when  the  interview  was  over  were  invited  to 
inspect  his  library,  which  was  filled  with  many 
old  manuscripts  and  valuable  books.  The  Greek 
Church  practices  feet-washing,  the  Lord's  supper, 
the  salutation  and  trine  immersion.  It  was  on 
these  points  of  common  interest  that  D.  L.  wished 
to  learn  more  of  the  history  and  evidence  on  which 
the  Greek  Church  based  its  doctrines.  After  a  sat- 
isfactory conference,  in  which  these  subjects  were 
discussed,  the  patriarch  gave  them  a  letter  of  in- 
troduction to  the  archbishop  at  Smyrna.  As  this 
document  shows  the  respect  with  which  D.  L.  and 
Brother  Lahman  were  treated  by  these  dignitaries, 
and  the  formalities  with  which  they  addressed  each 
other,  a  free  translation  of  it  is  herewith  given : 

"  Most  holy  Metropolitan  of  Smyrna,  highly 
honored  Exarch  of  Asia,  much  beloved  brother  in 


THE   NILE   NEAR   CAIRO 


THIRD  TRIP  ABROAD  145 

God,  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  united 
together  in  his  work  in  our  humility  to  Basilius : 

"We  salute  and  embrace  thee  with  an  holy 
kiss,  as  our  most  learned  and  sacred  brother.  Our 
gracious  brother,  Daniel  L.  Miller,  of  the  Brethren 
Church  of  America,  being  engaged  in  ecclesiastical 
studies,  brings  with  him  our  present  letter.  He 
has  made  a  long  journey  in  the  East,  and  having 
visited  the  Holy  City  of  Jerusalem  and  the  Land 
of  Promise,  and  seen  all  those  places  worthy  of 
study,  is  now  coming  to  Asia  Minor  to  visit  and  de- 
scribe her  seven  churches  mentioned  in  the  Revela- 
tion of  John.  Having  confidence  in  our  brother 
and  he  having  a  kind,  brotherly  feeling  toward  us 
in  visiting  us,  and  having  the  love  of  God  in  his 
heart,  asked  of  us  a  letter  of  introduction  to  your 
holiness,  to  the  end  that  he  may  have  your  assist- 
ance in  obtaining  information.  We  most  earnestly 
request  your  holiness  to  receive  him  as  a  brother, 
steadfast  in  the  faith  and  a  lover  of  the  true 
church,  and  render  to  him  all  possible  brotherly 
assistance,  that  his  labor  may  be  made  as  easy  as 
possible. 

"  Sending  to  you  in  great  love,  most  holy  broth- 
er in  the  Lord,  we  again  salute  and  embrace  you 
with  an  holy  kiss.  We  pray  the  blessing  of  God 
upon  your  holiness  with  good  health  and  salvation. 
"  Written  in  the  Holy  City  of  Jerusalem,  Feb. 
3rd,  1893. 

"  Your  beloved  brother  in  Christ, 

"  Gerasimus." 

In  Smyrna,  the  archbishop  received  them  kind- 
ly, and  after  reading  the  above  letter,  said,  "  My 
time  today  is  yours."  He  answered  their  questions 


146  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

fully  and  in  turn  asked  about  the  practices  of  the 
Brethren  Church.  When  the  interview  was  over, 
he  gave  each  of  them  a  copy  of  a  book  he  had  writ- 
ten, and  also  a  letter  of  introduction  to  the  bishop 
of  the  Greek  Church  at  Philadelphia.  There  they 
did  not  find  the  bishop  at  home,  but  talked  with  his 
minister.  They  found  that  while  the  Greek  Church 
had  some  doctrines  in  common  with  the  Brethren, 
there  was  no  equality  between  the  laity  and  the 
ministers.  The  bishops  were  highly  honored  and 
held  themselves  aloof  from  the  laity.  In  explain- 
ing to  some  Greek  Christians  the  equality  and  love 
that  existed  between  the  ministers  and  members 
in  the  Brethren  Church,  D.  L.  felt  from  the  re- 
sponse they  gave  that  there  would  be  an  excellent 
field  to  propagate  the  simple  Christianity  of  the 
Brethren  Church. 

Leaving  Smyrna,  they  traveled  homeward  by 
way  of  Athens,  Home,  and  Genoa,  taking  ship 
from  Genoa  for  New  York.  A  visit  to  the  churches 
in  Denmark  and  Sweden  had  been  planned,  but 
the  prevalence  of  cholera  in  northern  Europe  made 
that  inadvisable.  Their  voyage  home  was  unevent- 
ful, except  for  two  days'  storm  at  sea,  which  be- 
came so  severe  that  it  turned  into  a  veritable  cy- 
clone, enveloping  the  ship  in  spray  and  water.  The 
wind  blew  at  the  rate  of  eighty  miles  an  hour  and 
was  so  violent  that  it  pressed  down  the  waves.  But 
the  ship  weathered  the  storm,  and  finally  they  en- 
ter New  York  harbor.  D.  L.  wrote : 


THIRD  TRIP  ABROAD  147 

« 

"  The  revenue  boat  brings  mail  for  the  pas- 
sengers, and  how  eager  all  are  to  receive  news! 
Here  is  a  letter  from  my  dear  wife,  postmarked  at 
Philadelphia,  and  I  know  without  breaking  the 
seal  that  in  a  few  hours  she  will  meet  me  at  the 
wharf  in  New  York. 

"  There  are  experiences  that  lie  so  close  to  our 
hearts  that  we  are  loath  to  speak  or  write  about 
them.  They  are  treasured  as  memories  that  live 
in  our  heart  of  hearts.  Such  an  experience  was 
my  homecoming  and  the  meeting  with  my  beloved 
life  companion,  with  whom  I  have  journeyed  for 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Over  it  all  I 
drop  the  veil  of  silence.  .  .  .  God  is  good  and, 
oh,  how  good  he  has  been  to  us !" 


CHAPTEE  XVIII 

THREE  BOOKS 

LATE  in  1893,  "  Wanderings  in  Bible  Lands  " 
was  published.  This  book  was  the  result 
of  letters  printed  in  the  Messenger  during 
D.  L.'s  third  trip  to  Europe.  It  is  a  volume  of  six 
hundred  pages,  filled  with  many  illustrations.  In 
it  D.  L.  not  only  tells  of  his  travels  in  detail  but  he 
gives  biblical  references,  historical  outlines  and 
quotes  copiously  from  authorities.  His  one  pur- 
pose is  to  prove  the  truth  of  the  Bible,  as  revealed 
in  the  ruins  of  ancient  times  and  in  the  customs 
that  have  come  down  to  this  day.  This  fact  was 
constantly  in  his  mind  as  he  wrote,  and  governed 
his  selection  of  material. 

The  book  is  very  interesting,  for  he  had  a 
knack  of  telling  simply  and  clearly  what  he  saw, 
and  seasoned  it  now  and  then  with  some  amusing 
incident  at  his  own  expense.  He  was  at  no  end  of 
pains  to  make  it  truthful  in  every  respect.  He  con- 
sulted and  used  in  the  preparation  of  the  manu- 
script twenty-six  books,  making  himself  first  an  au- 
thority on  the  subjects  about  which  he  intended  to 
write. 

The  book  had  a  sale  of  twelve  thousand  copies 

149 


150  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

or  more.  He  received  concerning  it  many  letters  of 
praise,  a  few  of  which  are  given  below : 

"  Office  of  John  D.  Campbell,  County  Judge. 

"  Oregon,  111.,  July  28,  1894. 
"  To  Whom  It  May  Concern : 

"  I  take  pleasure  in  stating  that  I  have  read 
and  reread  with  interest  and  ever-increasing  in- 
terest the  volume  entitled,  i  Wanderings  in  Bible 
Lands,'  by  D.  L.  Miller. 

"  In  detail  and  plainness  of  description,  I  re- 
gard it  as  superior  to  any  of  the  books  I  have  read 
upon  the  exceedingly  interesting  scenes,  incidents 
and  subjects  treated  upon,  and  I  unhesitatingly 
commend  it  to  all  as  a  highly-interesting  and  in- 
structive book  of  travels. 

"  John  D.  Campbell." 

"  I  have  just  finished  reading  i  Wanderings  in 
Bible  Lands,'  by  D.  L.  Miller,  and  have  found  it  a 
rare  treat  to  drink  in  such  light  from  the  old  world 
so  immediately  in  touch  with  the  Book  of  books. 
It  is  all  the  more  pleasing  because  written  in  an 
easy,  plain,  yet  multum  in  parvo  (much  in  little) 
style.  It  contains  such  a  mine  of  reliable  informa- 
tion, directly  helpful  to  the  proper  comprehension 
of  Bible  narratives  and  prophecies  not  generally 
understood  without  such  help,  that  the  Bible  stu- 
dent cannot  well  afford  to  do  without  it. 

"  Daniel  Vaniman." 

"  New  Paris,  Ind.,  Dec.  26, 1893. 
"  My  dear  Brother  in  Christ : 

"  I  received  a  few  days  ago  the  present  you 
sent  me,  entitled,  '  Wanderings  in  Bible  Lands,' 
which  we  esteem  as  a  kind  of  household  treasure 
along  with  the  Bible. 


THREE  BOOKS  151 

"  Others  will  be  able  to  say  greater  things 
for  it,  only  because  of  their  natural  ability  to  say 
greater  things;  but  none  can  feel  more  grateful 
than  Brother  and  Sister  Hillery.  I  regard  it  as 
important  for  every  Bible  student,  a  great  help  to 
both  young  and  old  ministers.  With  this  book  they 
get  better  acquainted  at  once  with  the  people,  the 
country,  the  cities  upon  which  so  many  prophecies 
of  the  Bible  fall.  Howard,  my  only  son,  who  is 
eleven  years  old,  has  read  four  chapters  and  has 
started  to  read  it  through,  and  says,  '  I  tell  you, 
papa,  that  is  a  very  interesting  book.  .  .  .' 

"  Lemuel  Hillery." 

The  following  is  a  part  of  a  letter  written  by 
Dimitri  Tadros,  dragoman  who  acted  as  guide 
for  D.  L.  and  Brother  Lahman  in  Palestine : 

"...  I  thought  of  you  and  Mr.  Lahman 
often  on  this  trip,  and  especially  since  I  took  with 
me  a  copy  of  your  book,  '  Wanderings  in  Bible 
Lands,'  for  the  party  and  myself  to  read.  I  feel  it 
my  duty  to  tell  you,  being  a  native  of  this  country 
and  acquainted  with  its  people  and  manners  and 
customs,  that  your  book  is  an  incomparable  gem 
for  those  who  are  interested  in  the  study  of  the 
Lord's  Book.  It  makes  the  Bible  plainer  to  stran- 
gers in  Palestine,  and  then  you  have  put  it  all  in 
such  plain,  simple  language,  that  it  is  so  easy  to 
read  and  understand.  God  enrich  you  with  all  his 
blessings." 

In  1894  "  The  Seven  Churches  of  Asia  "  was 
written  and  published.  In  the  last  paragraph  of 
the  preface,  D.  L.  says : 


152  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

"  This  book  is  sent  out  with  the  hope  that  it 
will  add  to  the  store  of  knowledge  concerning  the 
seven  churches  of  Asia  and  awaken  an  interest  in 
this  very  interesting  portion  of  Bible  Lands.  The 
work  is  a  labor  of  love  and  is  a  free-will  offering. 
The  income  from  the  sale  of  the  book  is  to  be  de- 
voted to  the  missionary  cause  in  foreign  lands.  It 
is  the  author's  strong  desire  that  the  nations  which 
today  sit  in  darkness  .may  see  the  light  of  the 
glorious  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  on  the 
shores  of  the  Mediterranean,  where  the  Gospel  was 
first  preached,  primitive  Christianity  with  all  its 
God-given  power  may  again  be  restored." 

That  this  book  was  a  real  addition  to  the 
knowledge  concerning  the  seven  churches  cannot 
be  doubted,  when  it  is  known  that  at  the  time  it  was 
written  no  other  book  had  been  published  exclu- 
sively upon  this  subject.  The  two  travelers  men- 
tioned previously  had  incorporated  chapters  in 
their  books  about  the  seven  churches,  but  D.  L.'s 
book  was  the  first  to  deal  only  with  these 
churches.  Doubtless  one  of  the  dreams  nearest  his 
heart  was  the  opening  of  a  mission  among  these 
churches,  thus  reviving  the  Christianity  which  Paul 
had  started.  So  he  dedicated  the  proceeds  to  that 
purpose.  By  the  first  of  the  year  six  hundred  dol- 
lars had  accumulated  from  the  sale  of  the  book, 
and  it  was  not  long  until  there  came  an  announce- 
ment in  the  Messenger  that  a  mission  would  be 
opened  in  Smyrna.  D.  L.  once  said  that  "  The  Sev- 
en Churches  in  Asia  "  was  one  of  his  least  popu- 


THREE  BOOKS  153 

lar  books.  However  that  may  be,  it  was  written  in 
his  most  interesting  style  and  contains  much  valu- 
able information  about  a  little-known  route  of 
travel. 

Another  book  was  published  in  1894,  not  from 
the  hand  of  D.  L.,  but  from  that  of  his  wife.  She 
had  been  asked  by  Brother  J.  H.  Moore  to  write  for 
the  Young  Disciple  a  series  of  letters  on  her  travels. 
At  first  she  refused,  but  later  consented  to  do  as 
requested.  Soon  letters  were  appearing  weekly 
telling  of  her  journeyings.  At  first  it  was  not  in- 
tended to  publish  these  in  book  form,  but  so  many 
requests  were  received  that  this  be  done  that  it 
was  finally  decided  to  bring  out  a  book  of  her  let- 
ters. This  volume  was  called  "  Letters  to  the  Young 
from  the  t)ld  World."  They  cover  her  trip  through 
Europe  and  Palestine,  and  were  not  only  read  by 
the  young  but  by  the  old.  Her  style  in  writing  was 
most  pleasant,  and  she  had  a  knack  of  selecting 
those  little  incidents  of  interest  that  lighten  every 
trip  and  are  so  often  forgotten  in  the  telling  of 
more  important  events. 

A  note  in  the  Messenger  for  Jan.  8, 1895,  reads 
thus: 

"  The  way  Sister  Miller's  book  is  selling  is  a 
surprise  to  the  author  and  to  the  publishers.  We 
had  no  idea  that  there  was  such  a  demand  for  it. 
Hundreds  order  the  book  and  thousands  ought  to 
have  it.  In  fact,  it  should  be  in  every  family  where 
there  are  children  or  young  people.  Even  the  old 
people  read  it  with  delight.  They  know  that  Sis- 


154  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

ter  Miller  has  visited  the  Bible  lands  and  other 
countries,  and  are  anxious  to  know  what  a  woman 
has  to  say  about  what  may  be  seen  in  these  lands." 

D.  L.  returned  from  his  third  trip  in  April, 
1893.  Two  years  later,  in  June,  he  started  on  his 
fourth  journey,  which  took  him  around  the  world. 
In  those  two  years  he  wrote  two  books  and  spent 
much  time  preaching  and  lecturing.  An  idea  of  the 
amount  of  work  he  could  accomplish  in  one  win- 
ter may  be  obtained  from  the  following  items  which 
appeared  from  time  to  time  in  the  Messenger: 

"  The  Brethren  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia  pro- 
pose to  make  good  use  of  Brother  D.  L.  Miller  what 
time  he  can  remain  in  that  State.  They  have  ar- 
ranged the  following  program  for  him,  and  he  is 
to  visit  the  points  named  on  the  dates  given :" 

Bridgewater,  Va Jan.  19-29 

Mill  Creek,  Va Jan.  30-31 

Beaver  Creek,  Va Feb.  1-3 

Dayton,  Va Feb.  4-5 

Greenmount,  Va Feb.  6-7 

Linville,  Va Feb.  8-9 

Timberville,  Va Feb.  10-13 

Flat  Kock,  Va Feb.  14-15 

Pleasant  View,  Va Feb.  16-17 

New  Market,  Va Feb.  18-20 

Valley  Church,  Va Feb.  21-22 

Elk  Run,  Va Feb.  23-24 

Middle  River,  Va Feb.  25-26 

Barren  Ridge,  Va Feb.  27-28 

Mt.  Vernon,  Va March  1-2 

Roanoke,  Va March  3-6 


THREE  BOOKS  155 

Bonsack's,  Va March  7-9 

Winchester,  Va March  10-12" 

From  the  middle  of  September  until  the  first 
of  April,  he  gave  220  talks,  a  part  of  the  time  de- 
livering two  talks  a  day. 

"  Writing  from  New  Hope,  Virginia,  Brother 
Miller  tells  us  that  since  Jan.  19  he  has  delivered 
eighty  discourses,  it  being  his  lot  to  talk  twice  each 
day — morning  and  evening."  (Messenger  for 
March  12,  1895.)  "When  not  before  the  public 
most  of  his  time  must  be  taken  up  with  conversa- 
tion and  traveling  from  one  point  to  another.  He 
is  growing  very  tired  and  longs  for  a  short  season 
of  rest.  His  meetings  are  largely  attended  by  all 
classes  of  people.  Some  of  the  papers  are  publish- 
ing quite  extended  accounts  of  these  talks  and 
speak  very  favorably  of  the  impression  made  on 
the  minds  of  the  people,  who  fill  the  largest  rooms 
to  their  utmost  capacity." 


CHAPTEE  XIX 

GIRDLING  THE  GLOBE 

WHILE  at  Annual  Conference,  Meyersdale, 
Pennsylvania,  1884,  D.  L.  and  wife  were 
recommended  to  visit  the  churches  in 
Denmark  and  Sweden,  but  they  did  not  actually 
start  on  the  trip  until  one  year  later,  after  the  Con- 
ference at  Decatur,  Illinois.  Then,  in  company  with 
Brethren  T.  T.  Myers,  H.  B.  Brumbaugh,  W.  Binga- 
man,  Christian  Hope  and  Brother  Fercken  and 
family  they  started  for  a  trip  around  the  world. 

"And  the  very  moment  we  started  from  home, 
our  homeward  journey  began.  .  .  .  Hitherto  on 
our  travels  we  have  had,  when  starting,  an  objec- 
tive point,  and  when  it  was  reached  we  began  our 
return  voyage.  But  on  this  journey  we  continue 
our  course  eastward  and  homeward  until,  the  Lord 
willing,  we  land  at  San  Francisco,  and  still  pur- 
suing our  eastward  way,  finally  reach  our  home 
again.  We  are  impressed  with  the  thought  that 
our  journey  is  somewhat  like  the  great  voyage  of 
life  which  we  are  all  making.  There  is  no  turn- 
ing back.  Onward  is  the  word,  until,  if  we  follow 
the  compass  and  chart  of  God,  the  goal  is  won  and 
the  haven  of  eternal  rest  is  reached." 

After  visiting  the  churches  in  Denmark  and 
157 


158  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

Sweden,  Brother  Hope  remained  there  for  a  time 
to  work  among  them.  Brother  G.  J.  Fercken  and 
family  went  at  once  to  Smyrna  to  open  the  first 
Brethren  mission  in  Asia  Minor.  After  touring 
Europe,  Palestine  and  Egypt,  Brethren  Myers, 
Brumbaugh  and  Bingaman  returned  home. 

D.  L.  and  wife,  with  Brother  Hope,  went  al- 
most immediately  to  Denmark  and  Sweden  to  be- 
gin their  labors  while  the  other  brethren  stayed  in 
England.  In  Sweden  at  this  time  there  were  nine 
churches,  with  a  combined  membership  of  over  two 
hundred.  Four  things  had  been  hindering  the 
work.  Several  men  had  entered  the  ministry,  and 
"  not  getting  what  they  expected,  proved  unfaith- 
ful, and  thus  brought  discouragement  upon  those 
who  were  faithful,  and  upon  whom  the  burden  of 
maintaining  the  mission  fell."  Every  man  had  to 
serve  in  the  army,  and  was  put  in  prison  if  he  ob- 
jected. Several  brethren  had  gone  to  prison  for 
their  convictions,  but  many  others  preferred  to 
emigrate  to  America.  This  was  a  constant  drain 
on  the  church.  Likewise  small  farmers  with  lit- 
tle means  were  drawn  to  the  United  States,  where 
opportunities  for  the  poor  were  better  than  in  their 
own  country.  And  again,  the  use  of  tobacco  and 
strong  drink  was  so  common  in  northern  Europe 
that  when  the  church  took  a  stand  against  it, 
many,  who  might  otherwise  have  joined,  were  kept 
out.  So  with  these  things  to  fight  against  the  lit- 


GIRDLING  THE  GLOBE  159 

tie  churches  had  their  troubles  and  were  very  glad 
for  the  help  and  counsel  of  the  American  brothers. 

"  During  our  stay  with  the  members,  six  love 
feasts,  twenty-five  public  services  and  a  number  of 
private 'conversation  meetings  were  held.  These 
latter  meetings  were  especially  enjoyable.  .  .  . 
By  the  efforts  of  the  home  ministers,  six  were  added 
to  the  church,  and  others  are  to  be  baptized  in  the 
near  future.  Several  members  who  had  fallen 
into  sin  made  application  to  be  received  into  fel- 
lowship again.  On  the  whole,  we  are  glad  that  we 
are  able  to  close  this  report  of  our  work  by  saying 
that  the  outlook  for  the  future  is  hopeful." 

While  visiting  here  among  the  homes  of  the 
people,  D.  L.  had  a  personal  encounter  with  horse 
meat,  which  is  commonly  eaten  in  that  country.  He 
with  his  wife  was  in  the  home  of  a  well-to-do  mer- 
chant, where  the  table  was  spread  with  many  good 
things  to  eat,  among  them  being  dried  meat  re- 
sembling home-made  dried  beef.  D.  L.  was  blessed 
with  a  good  appetite.  He  helped  himself  to  the 
meat.  It  tasted  fine.  He  says : 

"I  ate  more,  and  gave  it  a  favorable  recommen- 
dation to  my  wife,  who  also  ate  and  pronounced 
it  good.  Our  Brother  Olssen,  who  sat  by  our  side, 
said :  l  You  seem  to  be  very  fond  of  horse  meat.' 
Our  readers  may  imagine  the  result :  my  entire  in- 
ternal anatomy  rebelled,  and  it  was  only  by  the 
most  persistent  effort  that  I  remained  at  the  ta- 
ble and  completed  the  meal  with  due  dignity  and 
propriety.  I  have  no  appetite  for  horse  meat,  but 
it  did  taste  good." 


160  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

Leaving  Denmark  and  Sweden  in  the  middle  of 
August,  they  joined  their  companions  from  Eng- 
land and  went  slowly  southward  through  Ger- 
many, Italy,  Greece  and  across  to  Smyrna,  where 
Brother  Fercken  had  been  some  time  preparing  to 
start  a  mission.  D.  L.'s  heart  was  in  this  mission. 
The  account  in  "  Girdling  the  Globe  "  of  his  visit  to 
this  place  is  of  exceeding  interest,  for  it  reveals  his 
desire,  amounting  almost  to  a  passion,  that  primi- 
tive Christianity  might  be  re-established  near  the 
place  where  it  was  founded.  There  the  little  com- 
pany of  seven  Christians  held  a  love  feast,  with  a 
few  Greeks  looking  on  and  watching  their  Testa- 
ments as  they  did  so.  How  D.  L.  longed  for  their 
souls  and  how  in  his  letters  he  pleaded  with  the 
church  at  home  to  furnish  the  money  needed  to 
keep  the  mission  alive ! 

But  the  Turkish  Government  was  very  hostile 
to  any  Christian  organization,  and  so  much  per- 
secution was  in  store  for  the  mission. 

When  they  entered  the  port,  the  customs  offi- 
cials had  taken  from  them  all  of  their  books  and 
papers,  and,  although  promising  many  times  to  re- 
turn the  articles,  had  not  done  so.  Before  leaving, 
they  appealed  to  the  American  consul  for  help,  and 
finally  ran  down  the  books  piled  carelessly  on  the 
floor  in  one  of  the  offices  of  the  censor,  whose  duty 
it  was  to  read  all  papers  and  books  brought  into 
the  country  by  Christian  "  infidels."  Here  they  re* 
covered  all  but  one  book,  which  had  been  destroyed 


GIRDLING  THE  GLOBE  161 

because  it  contained  some  "  strictures  on  Moham- 
med." With  this  attitude  on  the  part  of  the  author- 
ities, the  path  of  the  mission  would  be  a  difficult 
one. 

Leaving  Smyrna  on  the  second  of  October,  they 
sailed  southward  to  Beyrout,  where  their  traveling 
companions  left  them  to  go  overland  to  Jerusalem, 
while  they  proceeded  by  boat  to  Joppa  and  the 
Holy  City.  They  stayed  six  weeks  in  Jerusalem. 
It  was  not  the  pleasantest  season  of  the  year  to 
visit  there;  however,  D.  L.'s  interest  was  not  in 
scenery,  but  in  making  a  further  study  of  the  city. 
New  discoveries  and  excavations  had  been  made 
since  he  was  there,  and  he  had  a  strong  desire  to 
secure  certain  measurements  himself  and  study  the 
customs  which  revealed  the  truth  of  the  Bible. 
Here  he  found  the  women  grinding  at  the  mill — 
"  the  one  shall  be  taken  and  the  other  left."  Here, 
too,  was  the  shepherd  leading  his  flock,  which  had 
inspired  so  many  sayings  in  the  Bible.  Many  proph- 
ecies had  been  fulfilled  concerning  the  city  ef  Je- 
rusalem. All  of  these  he  studied  and  verified. 
Six  weeks  was  none  too  long  for  such  work  as  this. 

Nov.  11  the  whole  company  journeyed  to  Egypt 
for  a  two  weeks'  visit  before  separating  for  the 
last  part  of  the  trip.  And  on  the  28th,  D.  L.  and 
wife  bade  their  companions  good-by  and  sailed  out 
of  the  south  end  of  the  Suez  Canal  on  the  Cale- 
donia, with  their  faces  turned  toward  a  country 
which  their  eyes  had  never  seen. 


162  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

On  board  the  boat  were  a  number  of  mission- 
aries going  to  India,  among  them  being  Booth- 
Tucker,  a  son-in-law  of  General  Booth  of  the  Sal- 
vation Army.  With  him  D.  L.  had  many  pleasant 
conversations  about  the  missionary  work  in  In- 
dia. With  a  Mr.  T ,  a  Quaker  missionary, 

he  also  had  some  interesting  discussions.     He 
wrote: 

"As  we  hold  alike  to  peace  principles,  plain 
dressing  and  some  other  points,  we  had  some  things 
in  common  to  draw  us  together.  I  noticed  that 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  T—  -  did  not  wear  the  well-known 
Quaker  form  of  dress,  and  he  informed  me  that  the 
English  Friends  had  entirely  given  up  the  form, 
but  insisted  very  strongly  on  plain  dressing,  plain 
speech  and  plain  living  as  Bible  principles.  In 
answer  to  the  question,  '  Since  you  have  given  up 
the  Quaker  form  of  dress,  how  has  your  society 
succeeded  in  maintaining  plain  dressing?'  he  said, 
'  The  question  is  somewhat  difficult  to  answer ; 
there  are  always  some  who  go  to  extremes,  and  we 
can  hardly  restrain  them.'  It  was  apparent  that 
in  giving  up  the  form  the  principle  went  with  it." 

Arriving  in  Bombay,  they  were  met  at  the 
boat  by  Brother  Stover,  who  had  just  recovered 
from  a  serious  illness.  They  repaired  to  a  hotel, 
where  they  staid  several  weeks,  visiting  in  and 
about  Bombay  and  getting  acquainted  with  an 
entirely  different  civilization.  Bombay  proved  to 
be  very  much  more  modern  and  Western  than  D.  L. 
had  anticipated.  But  the  various  strange  sights 
on  every  hand  that  caught  his  eye  were  not  the 


GIRDLING  THE  GLOBE  163 

main  things  of  interest  to  Mm,  except  in  the  fact 
that  they  revealed  the  customs  and  especially  the 
religions  of  India.  Once  he  had  traveled  to  see 
sights  and  to  study  language,  but  that  time  was 
past.  Now  he  traveled  to  spread  the  Gospel  and  to 
learn  of  the  condition  of  the  heathen  needing  that 
Gospel.  A  great  part  of  the  book  which  was  the  re- 
sult of  this  trip  is  filled  with  a  discussion  of  the 
idolatry  of  India.  With  this  idea  constantly  in 
mind  they  made  their  way  about  Bombay. 

The  terrible  condition  of  the  Indian  popula- 
tion, which  resulted  from  idolatry,  made  a  lasting 
impression  on  D.  L.'s  mind  and  he  was  more  and 
more  convinced  that  the  church  would  be  held  re- 
sponsible for  not  using  her  strength  in  bringing  the 
Gospel  to  these  people.  Several  quotations  from 
his  letters  at  this  time  show  how  he  felt : 

"  I  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  great  im- 
portance of  our  mission  work  in  India.  The  con- 
viction that  the  church  will  not  be  held  blameless, 
if  she  neglect  her  part  in  the  great  work  of  rescu- 
ing India  from  idolatry  and  winning  her  for  Christ, 
has  grown  many  times  stronger  since  I  have  seen 
the  people  bow  down  to  images  made  of  wood,  clay 
and  stone." 

"  We  have  heard  it  said  by  those  at  home  who 
are  not  favorable  to  sending  the  Gospel  to  the 
heathen,  <  We  have  the  heathen  at  home,  convert 
them  first,  and  then  it  will  be  time  to  go  to  foreign 
lands.'  If  the  apostles  had  taken  a  course  of  this 
kind,  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  would  have  re- 
mained in  Palestine  for  many  centuries.  It  is 


164  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

true,  we  have  heathen  at  home,  but  they  have  ac- 
cess to  the  Bible,  and  we  may  thank  God  that  to 
the  enlightened  conscience  of  our  nation  sin  is 
sin,  while  here  it  is,  even  in  its  worst  aspect,  a 
form  of  righteousness.  The  people  at  home  have 
the  Gospel ;  here  they  sit  in  the  deepest  darkness 
of  sin's  darkest  night. 

"  We  have  asked  ourselves  over  and  over  again 
— since  coming  into  actual  contact  with  idolatry, 
and  coming  to  know  by  hearing  and  seeing  the 
reality  as  it  exists — how  shall  we,  as  a  church,  es- 
cape if  we  neglect  to  do  our  part  in  giving  the  Gos- 
pel of  light  to  these  people?" 

"  We  can  never  be  too  thankful  for  our  pure 
and  holy  religion.  We  are  only  better  than  these 
people  because  we  worship  the  true  God  and  have 
his  Son  for  our  Savior.  And  it  is  only  as  we  as- 
similate his  holy  life  and  pure  character,  and  make 
him  manifest  in  our  daily  living,  that  we  show  to 
the  world  that  we  are  Christians  in  the  true  sense 
of  the  word.  Obedience  and  conformity  to  his  will 
and  law  there  must  be,  but  this  is  not  enough.  We 
must  have  the  Christ-life  in  us." 

After  the  stay  in  Bombay,  D.  L.  and  wife,  with 
Brother  Stover,  went  to  Bulsar,  a  short  distance 
north  of  Bombay,  where  our  mission  had  been 
started.  There  they  met  the  other  missionaries  and 
staid  six  weeks  with  them.  While  there,  D.  L.  made 
a  thorough  investigation  of  the  place  where  the 
mission  was  being  started  and  of  the  conditions  of 
the  native  population.  They  became  acquainted 
with  the  other  English-speaking  people  of  Bulsar 
and  made  friends  among  them.  On  their  departure 


GIRDLING  THE  GLOBE  165 

lie  wrote  of  his  love  and  hopes  for  the  future  of  the 
mission : 

"  From  Bulsar  and  our  mission  home — hence- 
forth to  be  a  green  spot  in  our  memories,  an  oasis 
in  the  desert  of  travel — we  journeyed  northward 
and  eastward,  visiting  a  number  of  the  most  im- 
portant cities  in  India.  We  left  our  India  home 
with  real  and  deep  regret.  How  we  missed  the 
sweet,  homelike  atmosphere  of  Christian  love  that 
pervaded  the  place  where  we  had  so  much  enjoyed 
the  Christian  association  of  those  we  love !  Then 
there  was  the  social  worship,  the  singing  of  Gu- 
jerati  hymns,  the  public  meetings  and  the  quiet, 
peaceful,  restful  days — how  we  did  enjoy  them  all ! 
All  too  soon  for  us  those  bright  days  of  glad  sun- 
shine passed  away,  and  before  we  fully  realized  it 
the  time  for  our  departure  was  at  hand.  Those 
whom  we  had  met  but  a  short  time  before  as  stran- 
gers, we  now  bade  farewell  as  warm-hearted 
friends,  some  of  them  even  going  with  us  to  the 
station  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Our  mis- 
sionaries, as  in  apostolic  days,  accompanied  us  on 
our  journey  as  far  as  Calcutta.  We  said  good-by 
to  Bulsar,  strong  in  the  hope  that  in  the  years  to 
come  it  will  be  one  of  the  strongholds  of  primitive 
Christianity  in  India." 

They  went  to  Jeypoor  and  on  to  Agra,  where 
they  saw  the  beautiful  Taj  Mahal.  And  here  they 
had  an  experience  with  one  of  the  numerous  jug- 
glers of  India.  The  jugglers  had  performed  tricks 
which  deceived  the  most  watchful,  and  had  spread 
the  belief  that  they  were  not  tricks,  but  were  really 
miracles  which  these  men  performed  with  the  help 


166  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

of  a  supernatural  power.  D.  L.,  of  course,  did  not 
believe  this,  and  with  his  usual  thoroughness  in 
investigation,  and  with  the  help  of  the  rest  of  the 
party,  bribed  a  juggler  to  reveal  the  method  of 
performing  one  of  his  most  famous  tricks.  Evi- 
dently an  Indian  will  do  anything  for  money, 
and  thus  the  trick  was  revealed.  But  the  Indian 
was  so  clever  in  performing  it,  that  even  after  the 
little  company  knew  how  it  was  done,  they  could 
not  detect  the  motions  that  made  it  possible.  But, 
at  any  rate,  D.  L.  had  satisfied  himself  that  there 
was  no  supernatural  power  manifested  here ;  that 
the  Indian  jugglers  were  merely  great  artists  at 
sleight  of  hand. 

They  continued  their  journey  through  Delhi, 
Lucknow,  Cawnpore,  Benares,  where  they  saw 
thousands  bathing  in  the  sacred  river  Ganges,  and 
on  to  Calcutta,  the  City  of  Palaces.  At  Benares, 
they  called  on  Sri  Swami  Bhaskara  Naud  Saras- 
wati,  the  famous  ascetic,  who  is  known  as  the 
"  Holy  Man  of  Benares,"  and  is  worshiped  by  many 
people  in  India.  They  were  kindly  received  by  him 
and  presented  with  copies  of  his  books,  written  in 
Sanscrit,  and  a  pamphlet  containing  his  photo- 
graph. When  they  left,  he  called  the  blessings  of 
the  Creator  upon  them.  D.  L.  remarked :  "  I  ob- 
serve that  it  is  better  to  have  the  blessing  than  the 
cursing  from  a  man." 

After  making  a  side  trip  into  the  Himalaya 
Mountains,  they  finally  bade  farewell  to  the  mis- 


GIRDLING  THE  GLOBE  167 

sionaries  and  sailed  from  Calcutta  Feb.  4,  1896, 
for  Madras,  Colombo  and  Hongkong.  The  voyage 
was  without  unusual  incident.  At  Hongkong  the 
cholera  was  raging,  so  they  remained  there  only 
long  enough  to  get  passage  for  Japan.  They  staid 
two  months  in  Japan,  seeing  that  beautiful  coun- 
try for  the  first  time.  The  visit  here  was  very  en- 
joyable, even  to  the  experience  of  lodging  at  a  na- 
tive hotel,  where  the  beds  were  made  on  the  floor 
and  they  had  to  sit  on  the  same  place  to  eat  at 
tables  that  were  little  larger  than  a  stool.  During 
the  two  months  in  Japan,  they  experienced  twelve 
earthquakes,  none  of  them,  however,  very  severe. 
D.  L.  said  that  he  was  anxious  to  feel  an  earth- 
quake, but  after  the  first  one  he  had  a  wholesome 
dread  of  them. 

April  26  they  sailed  for  San  Francisco  by  way 
of  Honolulu.  The  seventeen  days'  voyage  was  peace- 
ful but  monotonous.  From  San  Francisco  they 
traveled  at  once  to  Ottawa,  Kansas,  where  the  An- 
nual Conference  of  1896  was  held,  and  there  greeted 
many  friends. 

D.  L.  returned  more  enthusiastic  for  missions 
than  ever  before,  but,  with  his  usual  sanity,  had 
no  Utopian  ideas  that  the  world  could  be  quickly 
Christianized,  or  that  the  work  in  India  or  Smyrna 
would  be  easy.  With  his  great  foresightedness,  he 
recognized  the  slowness  of  the  East  to  change,  and 
while  he  urged  the  sending  of  more  and  more  mis- 
sionaries, at  the  same  time  he  warned  the  church 


168  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

not  to  expect  to  convert  the  East  quickly.  "  Verily 
the  Oriental  changes  not  hastily." 

"  Girdling  the  Globe,"  the  book  which  resulted 
from  this  trip,  was  published  about  eighteen 
months  after  his  return.  In  many  ways  it  was  the 
best  of  the  books  he  had  thus  far  written.  The  pa- 
per, printing  and  illustrations  were  of  a  better 
quality  than  the  preceding  books.  But  of  more  im- 
portance than  this  were  the  contents.  Here  he 
showed  a  maturity  of  style  and  thought  that  placed 
this  work  on  a  higher  standard  than  any  of  the 
others  thus  far  written.  This  book  was  not  so  much 
an  account  of  travel  as  it  was  a  discussion  of  the 
religions  and  the  needs  of  the  foreigners.  So  sim- 
ply and  clearly  was  it  written  that  a  child  could 
understand  it,  and  yet  the  conclusions  drawn  were 
of  fundamental  importance  to  the  growth  of  mis- 
sions in  the  church. 

The  following  is  a  part  of  an  announcement  in 
the  Messenger: 

"  This  will  be  by  far  the  best  book  Brother 
Miller  has  produced,  and  will  probably  be  his 
last.  He  has  done  a  great  deal  of  hard  work  on  it, 
and  has  no  idea  of  ever  undertaking  another." 

Again,  to  quote  from  a  review  of  the  book  in 
the  Messenger  by  Brother  Grant  Mahan : 

"  The  author  desired  to  awaken  an  interest  in 
the  cause  of  missions.  He  was  right  in  supposing 
that  the  best  way  to  do  this  was  to  show  just  what 
the  condition  of  the  people  is.  If  the  heart  is  not 
touched  by  the  sight  of  the  degradation  of  the  mil- 


GIRDLING  THE  GLOBE  169 

lions  of  India  and  China  who  are  living  in  the 
darkness  of  idolatry,  there  is  something  wrong  with 
the  heart.  We  believe  the  book  will  accomplish 
its  purpose,  and  that  as  a  result  there  will  be  man- 
ifested a  love  for  the  souls  of  the  heathen  such  as 
we  have  never  before  seen  among  us.  God  grant 
that  it  may  be  so,  for  the  need  is  great." 

This  chapter  should  not  be  closed  without  a 
quotation  from  a  private  letter  of  D.L.'s  which  may 
give  an  insight  into  the  source  of  his  power  to  write 
a  better  book  and  to  make  a  stronger  plea  for  the 
mission  cause  which  was  so  near  his  heart.  This 
was  written  confidentially  and  is  published  now 
only  because  of  the  revelation  it  gives  of  the  real 
sincerity  of  his  character : 

"  I  have  had  some  peculiar  experiences  on  this 
journey.  Here  is  one  of  them.  I  left  Colombo 
spiritually  depressed,  and  when  we  were  out  upon 
the  China  Sea  I  felt  that  God  had  forsaken  me.  I 
could  scarcely  pray.  One  night  I  walked  back  and 
forth  on  the  ship  and  prayed,  and  then  there  came 
to  me  such  an  overwhelming  sense  of  trust  in 
Christ,  my  Mediator,  who  died  for  me,  my  Savior, 
my  Kighteousness,  that  my  heart  sang  for  joy.  I 
think  if  it  were  not  for  some  seasons  of  this  kind  to 
mark  the  desert  of  life  as  with  an  oasis,  I  should 
long  ago  have  fallen  by  the  way.  This  is  not  for 
other  eyes  than  yours  and  your  good  wife's.  I  hope 
to  get  home  again,  but  who  can  tell?  I  have  placed 
it  all  in  the  hands  of  God.  If  I  do  not  get  home,  I 
want  you  both  to  know  and  feel  that  I  am  trusting 
not  in  anything  I  have  done,  but  only  in  the  blessed 
Savior  who  died  for  me,  yes,  for  ME." 


CHAPTER  XX 

UNITING  THE  CHURCH  INTERESTS 

FKOM  the  beginning  of  his  connection  with 
the  Brethren's  Publishing  Company,  D.  L. 
believed  that  the  church  should  own  her  pub- 
lications.   Both  publicly  and  privately  he  advo- 
cated this,  as  his  letters  and  editorials  of  the  period 
show.    However,  it  was  a  good  many  years  after 
the  beginning  of  the  Gospel  Messenger  that  there 
was  sufficient  sentiment  in  the  church  to  bring  this 
about. 

The  Brethren's  Publishing  Company  pros- 
pered. New  departments  were  added,  Sunday- 
school  quarterlies  and  papers  started,  and  an  ever- 
increasing  job  and  book  business  was  kept  up.  In 
1893  it  was  felt  that  more  brethren  should  be  con- 
nected with  the  publishing  work,  and  practically  a 
new  stock  company  was  formed.  The  old  company 
was  turned  over  for  $45,500  and  enough  cash  was 
put  in  to  make  the  capital  stock  $50,000.  From 
that  time  and  until  it  was  taken  over  by  the  church, 
in  1897,  the  Brethren's  Publishing  Company  paid 
from  10  to  12  per  cent  dividends  on  the  capital 
stock. 

The  following  is  taken  from  the  Annual  Meet- 

171 


172  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

ing  Minutes  of  1897,  under  the  head  of  "  The  Pub- 
lishing Department " : 

"April  1, 1897,  the  Brethren's  Publishing  Com- 
pany transferred  to  the  General  Missionary  and 
Tract  Committee  all  its  right,  title  and  interest  in 
the  publishing  business  of  the  church,  and  the 
Brethren's  Publishing  Company  was  thereupon 
dissolved,  and  ceased  to  have  a  corporate  existence. 
An  inventory  was  taken  with  the  following  re- 
sults: 

Cash  on  hand $  6,414.58 

Engine,  presses  and  machinery 4,492.04 

Type,  cases,  electrotype,  etc 9,831.91 

Stock,  including  paper,  etc 1,342.97 

Merchandise,  including  Bibles 2,426.87 

Office  fixtures 412.50 

Ledger  accounts 8,836.75 

Delinquent  subscriptions  and  accounts,  16,504.16 


Total , $50,261.78 

When  turned  over  to  the  church,  the  Messen- 
ger had  a  circulation  of  15,600 ;  the  Young  Disciple, 
18,000 ;  the  quarterlies  and  Children  at  Work  com- 
bined, 52,000.  The  company  was  purchased  for 
$50,000,  which  was  raised  by  donation,  the  Mis- 
sionary Committee  to  pay  an  annuity  of  from 
5  per  cent  to  6  per  cent  to  the  donors  during  their 
lifetime;  at  death  the  payments  to  cease.  This 
briefly  gives  an  idea  of  the  value  of  the  Brethren's 
Publishing  Company  at  the  time  the  church  re- 
ceived it. 

In  "  Some  Facts  Concerning  the  Publishing 


UNITING  THE  CHURCH  INTERESTS          173 

Interests  Turned  Over  to  the  General  Missionary 
Committee,"  by  Brother  Galen  B.  Koyer,  we  find 
the  following  account  of  P.  L.'s  connection  with 
the  transfer  and  his  gift  to  the  church  at  this  time : 

"  Brother  Miller  owned  100  shares  of  Publish- 
ing House  stock  from  1884  until  it  was  trasferred 
to  the  Missionary  Committee.  This  transfer  was 
made  five  years  ago,  the  committee  giving  him  a 
bond  assuring  him  the  right  to  receive  the  income 
from  the  stock  during  his  lifetime.  Of  course,  at 
his  death,  the  income  would  revert  to  the  commit- 
tee. He  now  proposed  to  give  the  income  from  his 
stock  to  the  committee  and  add  to  it  $16,000  in 
cash  with  which  to  buy  stock,  provided  that  all  the 
stockholders  would  sell  at  par;  the  committee  to 
give  him  a  bond  bearing  5  per  cent,  to  be  paid  out  of 
the  profits  of  the  business — no  profit,  no  pay.  Some 
of  his  personal  friends  thought  that  he  ought  not 
to  take  less  than  6  per  cent,  owing  to  the  value  of 
the  donation  being  made.  It  was  said  that  con- 
tingencies might  arise  so  that  he  would  need  the 
6  per  cent,  and  that  the  money  was  his  and  that  he 
ought  to  keep  enough  for  old  age  and  sickness  if 
these  came  to  him  and  his.  He  felt  the  force  of 
these  statements  and  submitted  the  proposition  at 
6  per  cent,  and  it  was  accepted  by  the  commitee. 

"Brother  Miller  gave  $26,000  in  cash  and 
property;  also  $3,000  in  fee  simple  from  which  he 
receives  nothing.  On  the  $10,000  stock,  his  income 
has  not  been  less  than  10  per  cent  to  12  per  cent. 
He  turned  7  per  cent  mortgages  into  cash  so  that  he 
could  meet  his  part  of  the  engagement  with  the 
committee,  or  the  $16,000  cash  mentioned  above. 
.  .  .  He  gave  up  to  the  committee  property  that 


174  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

was  giving  him  an  income  of  over  $2,700,  accepting 
instead  $1,560." 

The  above  account  is  presented  in  some  de- 
tail, owing  to  the  fact  that  D.  L.  was  subjected  to 
some  criticism  and  trial  during  and  after  the  trans- 
fer. 

It  is  not  to  be  assumed  that  the  success  of  the 
Brethren's  Publishing  Company  up  to  this  time 
was  entirely  due  to  D.  L.  Joseph  Amick,  his  part- 
ner and  business  manager,  deserves  a  great  deal 
of  credit  for  his  constant  and  efficient  efforts  in  the 
business.  The  editors  and  helpers  likewise  de- 
serve credit.  The  business  could  not  have  pros- 
pered without  them.  D.  L.  did  not  own  a  control- 
ling interest,  and  so  his  decisions  were  not  final. 
And  yet  his  influence  pervaded  the  whole  institu- 
tion. His  journeys  and  letters  increased  the  circu- 
lation of  the  publications.  His  influence  was  al- 
ways used  for  harmoney  and  peace  and  concilia- 
tion and  forbearance  toward  any  opposing  factions. 
He  traveled  a  great  deal  among  the  churches  and 
met  many  of  the  leaders,  and  here  he  did  much  in 
educating  the  Brotherhood  toward  final  ownership 
of  the  publishing  interests.  It  was  through  his 
influence  that  the  clause,  "  when  suitable  arrange- 
ments can  be  made  and  wisdom  dictates,  to  own 
and  control  all  the  publishing  interests  of  the 
church,"  was  inserted  in  the  report  of  the  Commit- 
tee on  Consolidation  at  the  Conference  in  1893. 

The  following  notice,  which  he  wrote  for  the 


UNITING  THE  CHURCH  INTERESTS          175 

Messenger  Oct.  10, 1896,  gives  briefly  a  summing  up 
of  the  reasons  for  the  purchase  of  the  publishing 
interests  by  the  committee,  and  is  a  true  reflection 
of  former  editorials  and  private  letters: 

"  For  some  years,  as  is  well  known  to  those 
of  our  readers  who  have  attended  our  Annual  Con- 
ferences, efforts  have  been  made  to  have  the  church 
assume  control  of  all  her  publishing  interests. 
Those  who  were  most  anxiously  concerned  in  this 
matter  felt  that  the  profits  arising  from  our  church 
publications  should  be  used  by  the  church  in  for- 
warding her  work.  It  was  also  believed  that,  when 
it  was  known  that  the  church  owned,  controlled, 
and  received  the  profits  arising  from  such  publi- 
cations, the  circulation  of  our  church  and  Sunday- 
school  papers  would  largely  increase.  It  was  also 
felt  that  if  the  publishing  interests  belonged  to  the 
church,  there  would  be  no  possibility  of  other  pa- 
pers claiming  church  patronage  being  started. 
These  were  the  feelings  and  motives  prompting 
those  who  earnestly  sought  to  induce  the  church 
to  purchase  the  Brethren's  Publishing  Company's 
plant  and  property. 

"  But  the  question  of  raising  the  money,  the 
financial  management,  the  fear  that  if  the  con- 
cern were  purchased  and  placed  under  the  imme- 
diate control  of  the  Annual  Meeting,  it  would  not 
be  well  managed,  and  other  considerations,  kept 
the  brethren  from  agreeing  to  accept  the  offers  that 
were  made  from  time  to  time  for  the  last  twelve 
years.  But  the  sentiment  kept  growing  stronger 
in  favor  of  the  church  owning  the  publishing  in- 
terests. Many  brethren,  who,  at  one  time,  could 
not  see  their  way  clear  to  favor  the  move,  now  are 


176  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

of  the  opinion  that  it  is  the  right  thing  to  do.  But 
the  important  question,  as  to  where  the  money  was 
to  be  had,  was  the  great  hindrance  to  the  project. 
In  these  hard  times  it  was  felt  that  it  would  be  a 
difficult  matter  to  raise  $50,000,  the  amount  neces- 
sary to  secure  the  business. 

"  '  Man  proposes  but  God  disposes,'  is  a  maxim 
that  is  as  true  today  as  when  it  was  first  uttered. 
While  the  question  of  raising  the  money  to  buy  the 
publishing  business  exercised  the  minds  of  those 
who  were  favorable  to  the  project,  God  put  it  into 
the  hearts  of  the  owners,  and  others  who  were  sim- 
ilarly disposed,  to  make  liberal  donations  of 
money  and  stock,  so  that  the  entire  business  of  the 
Brethren's  Publishing  Company  could  be  turned 
over  to  the  General  Missionary  and  Tract  Com- 
mittee. At  the  last  meeting  of  the  committee,  held 
at  Elizabethtown,  Pennsylvania,  on  Sept.  28  and 
29,  the  donation  was  made  and  duly  accepted,  with 
many  thanks  to  the  liberal  donors." 

In  the  meantime,  the  General  Missionary  and 
Tract  Committee,  of  which  D.  L.  had  always  been 
a  member,  had  been  increasing  its  activities  great- 
ly during  the  years.  Tracts  and  books  were  dis- 
tributed through  this  committee,  and  missionaries 
and  preachers  sent  to  various  places.  Although, 
by  the  necessity  of  his  travels,  D.  L.  was  often 
away  during  long  periods  of  time  and  unable  to 
attend  all  of  the  meetings,  he  constantly  kept  in 
touch  with  the  work  by  letters  and  largely  guided 
the  policy  of  the  committee  in  the  mission  work. 
Since  the  Brethren's  Publishing  Company  had  been 
approved  by  the  Conference,  it  was  felt  by  its  man- 


UNITING  THE  CHURCH  INTERESTS          177 

agers  that  the  publication  of  tracts  and  books  dis- 
tributed by  the  committee  should  be  given  to  them. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  were  factions  in  the 
church  who  believed  that  it  was  not  right  for  the 
profits  of  these  tracts  and  books  to  go  into  a  pri- 
vate concern.  There  were  some  who  even  advo- 
cated starting  a  rival  publishing  company,  directly 
under  the  control  of  the  church.  Naturally  criti- 
cism of  the  Brethren's  Publishing  Company  arose 
out  of  this  condition,  and  many  annoying  incidents 
gradually  caused  a  certain  amount  of  antagonism 
between  the  committee  and  the  company.  D.  L. 
believed  through  the  entire  trouble  that  the  only 
fair  thing  was  for  the  church  to  buy  the  company  at 
a  fair  price.  A  rival  company  which,  if  backed  by 
the  church  sufficiently,  could  ruin  the  Brethren's 
Publishing  Company,  would  cause  factions  and 
dissension  and,  as  he  wrote  at  that  time  in  a  pri- 
vate letter : 

"  There  will  be  a  strong  fight,  there  will  be  bit- 
terness, compared  with  which,  what  we  have  en- 
dured will  be  as  nothing  and  in  the  end  disruption, 
because  I  do  not  believe  the  blessing  of  God  will 
follow  such  a  course.  I  believe,  however,  that  by 
patience  and  forbearance  we  can  pull  together  un- 
til the  church  takes  the  paper." 

In  1893,  when  the  General  Missionary  and 
Church  Erection  Committee  and  the  Book  and 
Tract  Committee  were  united,  D.  L.  succeeded  in 
having  a  clause  put  into  the  minutes  that  when 
it  seemed  advisable  the  resulting  committee  from 


178  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

this  union  should  buy  the  Brethren's  Publishing 
Company.  Brother  Daniel  Vaniman,  who  traveled 
for  the  Missionary  Committee,  finally  reported  in 
189G  that  enough  funds  had  been  secured  for  this 
purpose,  so  preparations  were  made  to  turn  the 
Publishing  Company  over  to  the  committee.  D.  L. 
thought  that  when  this  occurred  existing  troubles 
would  be  united  under  one  committee  and  there 
would  be  at  an  end,  for  all  of  the  church  interests 
would  be  no  friction  between  committees.  But  he 
had  not  reckoned  with  the  opposing  factions  in  the 
church,  who  had  always  objected  to  this  course. 

Some  said  that  there  was  a  "  Mount  Morris 
ring  "  and  that  Northern  Illinois  ran  the  Publish- 
ing House.  To  stop  this  criticism,  it  was  decided 
to  move  the  Publishing  House  from  Mount  Morris. 
Various  places  near  Chicago  were  considered  by 
the  locating  committee.  D.  L.  and  his  wife  were  in 
Europe  at  the  time,  and  so  were  not  in  close  touch 
with  the  matter.  D.  L.'s  judgment  was  that  it 
should  be  taken  to  Northern  Indiana.  Plymouth 
and  Goshen  were  seriously  considered,  but  certain 
objections  arose  which  made  it  seem  advisable  to 
return  to  Northern  Illinois,  and  Elgin  was  finally 
decided  upon. 

Here,  in  1899,  the  office  of  the  General  Mis- 
sionary and  Tract  Committee  was  opened  in  April 
and  a  large  building  was  erected  that  summer  for 
the  printing  plant.  This  was  moved  over  in  the 


179 

fall  of  that  same  year.    Naturally  this  sudden  ex- 
pansion caused  further  criticism. 

Aside  from  this  there  existed  in  the  church  a 
faction  that  did  not  believe  in  an  endowment  at  all, 
even  going  so  far  as  to  say  that  the  taking  of  in- 
terest was  the  same  as  usury,  and  therefore  was 
forbidden  by  the  Bible.  As  D.  L.  had  inaugurated 
the  endowment  movement  many  years  before,  and 
had  always  worked  for  it,  this  was  almost  a  per- 
sonal stab  at  him.  Others  believed  that  the  endow- 
ment should  be  invested,  not  in  farm  mortgages,  as 
had  always  been  the  rule  of  the  committee,  but  in 
other  investments.  Another  group  did  not  believe 
in  foreign  missions,  and  therefore  saw  no  need  for 
collecting  money  for  that  purpose.  Still  others 
continued  to  believe  that  the  Missionary  Commit- 
tee should  not  own  the  Publishing  House.  Then 
some  criticised  the  way  the  Messenger  was  ar 
ranged ;  the  articles  that  were  omitted  and  the  ar- 
ticles that  were  printed.  In  fact,  those  who  op- 
posed the  policy  of  the  Missionary  Committee 
found  many  ways  of  criticising.  As  D.  L.  had  al- 
ways been  a  member  of  the  Missionary  Committee 
since  its  beginning,  and  it  was  largely  through  him 
that  the  missions  in  Smyrna  and  India  were  start- 
ed, and  as  his  influence  had  ever  been  very  strong 
with  the  committee,  he  came  in  for  a  very  great 
deal  of  personal  criticism.  Some  said  that  his  gift 
to  the  committee,  which  made  it  possible  for  the 
committee  to  buy  the  Publishing  House,  was  too 


180  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

large,  and  that  he  was  using  that  gift  and  his  work 
for  the  church  to  further  his  own  ends.  One  church 
leader  wrote  him,  saying  he  should  resign  from 
the  committee,  for  his  influence  was  at  an  end. 
D.  L.  was  hurt  exceedingly  by  all  of  these  things, 
especially  when  his  motives  were  impugned,  for 
he  was  very  sensitive.  This  opposing  sentiment 
came  to  a  head  in  the  publication  of  thte  Landmark, 
a  weekly,  printed  at  Warrensburg,  Misouri,  for 
the  purpose  of  reforming  the  church.  It  was  ed- 
ited by  Brother  Howard  Miller. 

Howard  and  D.  L.  had  long  been  friends,  for 
Howard  himself  had  no  personal  criticism  of  D.  L. 
That  came  from  other  sources.  Howard  constant- 
ly wrote  D.  L.  of  his  plans  for  the  Landmark,  and 
what  reforms  in  the  church  he  would  accomplish 
with  it.  D.  L.  did  not  resent  this,  but  it  hurt  him, 
after  all  his  effort  toward  unity  in  the  church,  to 
know  that  another  church  paper  was  being  started 
and  might  become  a  success.  As  one  said  of  him, 
"  D.  L.  never  went  back  on  a  friend."  Here  he 
must  have  had  a  severe  temptation,  for,  as  he  wrote 
in  a  personal  letter,  "  out  of  Howard's  letters,  I 
could  compile  a  sketch  that  would  put  him  and  his 
Landmark  in  a  light  not  of  the  best.  But  I  won't 
do  it.  Time  will  bring  the  thing  out." 

And  again,  "  I  am  sure  right  will  triumph  in 
the  end.  We  needed  a  shaking  up.  It  will  do  us 
all  good." 

"  Personally,  I  am  more  concerned  these  days 


181 

about  being  right  in  the  sight  of  God  than  in  the 
sight  of  men.  I  know  I  have  made  many  mistakes, 
but  the  consciousness  remains  that  I  tried  to  do  the 
right.  If  those  I  have  helped  turn  now  and  rend 
me,  I  must  bear  it  with  what  Christian  fortitude  I 
can.  God  has  sent  into  my  life  much  good.  Shall 
I  not  bear  evil  if  it  come?  It  may  all  be  for  the 
best.  .  .  ." 

The  above  referred  to  the  personal  criticism 
of  himself;  the  following  to  a  method  of  meeting 
the  criticism  against  the  committee : 

"  But  we  have  a  condition  to  meet.  It  has 
passed  the  stage  of  a  theory.  And  what  is  to  be 
done? 

"  1.  We  must  meet  the  situation  with  Chris- 
tian firmness  and  with  charity  for  those  who  differ 
from  us. 

"  2.  We  must  stand  together  for  the  right, 
correct  our  mistakes  and  improve  on  the  past. 

"  3.  We  must  have  no  fight  with  the  Land- 
mark. Let  the  Messenger  give  no  unkind  word  or 
insinuation.  If  a  quarrel  is  forced,  let  us  keep  out 
of  it. 

"  4.  Our  plea  should  be,  let  the  church  con- 
trol the  paper.  If  we  have  not  done  right,  put  us 
out  and  others  in,  only  don't  let  us  have  another 
paper,  which  means  another  schism  in  the  church." 

The  following  refers  to  the  suggestion  that  he 
resign  from  the  committee : 

"  There  is  no  position  in  the  church  which  I 
hold,  or  that  may  come  to  me,  except  my  member- 
ship in  the  church,  that  I  would  not  willingly,  yea 
gladly,  give  up  for  the  peace  and  harmony  and  uni- 


182  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

ty  of  the  Brotherhood."  (Jerusalem,  April  1, 
1899.) 

In  that  spring,  of  1899,  he  missed  his  first  Con- 
ference since  1880.  Hard  as  it  was  for  him  not  to 
be  in  the  midst  of  the  fight,  he  yet  wrote  that  he  felt 
sure  everything  would  go  for  the  best  at  the  meet- 
ing. 

The  question  of  the  Landmark  was  to  come  up 
at  this  Conference,  and  that  was  of  vital  interest 
to  him.  Likewise,  his  time  as  a  member  of  the  Mis- 
sionary Committee  had  expired  with  this  year. 
As  had  been  suggested,  he  resigned,  asking  that 
he  be  not  reappointed.  But  to  have  these  things 
considered  in  his  absence  was  hard  for  him.  How- 
ever, the  mission  in  Smyrna  was  having  great 
trouble  at  this  time,  and  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  re- 
main in  Europe  until  that  was  settled.  When  the 
question  of  the  Landmark  came  up,  the  Confer- 
ence decided  very  strongly 

"  that  we  consider  the  publication  of  the  Land- 
mark a  violation  of  the  decisions  of  the  Annual 
Meeting,  and  hereby  disapprove  of  its  continuance, 
and  warmly  urge  the  patronage  of  the  literature 
authorized  by  the  Annual  Meeting." 

On  Oct.  21,  1899,  the  Landmark  was  discon- 
tinued and  the  Gospel  Messenger  was  sent  in  place 
of  all  unexpired  subscriptions. 

"  '  We  have  given  it  prayful  attention,  and  the 
result  has  been  that  we  have  all  agreed  to  co-oper- 
ate together  for  the  good  of  the  church.  All  re- 


UNITING  THE  CHURCH  INTERESTS          183 

ports  of  derogatory  character  should  be  disbe- 
lieved. The  motives  of  all  parties  are  the  better 
cementing  of  the  church  and  the  restoration  of  the 
primitive  faith  and  practice  of  the  Fraternity.' — 
Landmark. 

"  The  extract  tells  its  own  story.  Out  of  love 
and  good  will,  without  malice  or  rancor,  with  self 
left  out  and  only  the  good  of  the  church,  which  we 
all  love,  kept  in  sight,  an  interview  was  held  which 
resulted  as  here  indicated. 

"  It  has  been  our  constant  prayer  that  no 
root  of  bitterness  should  spring  up  amongst  us  and 
that  the  church  might  never  again  have  the  curse 
of  division  fall  upon  her.  We  have  had  the  loss 
of  brotherly  love,  the  estrangement,  the  bitterness 
and  the  breaking  of  ties  anchored  in  the  heart  oc- 
casioned by  our  double  division,  and  God  forbid 
that  another  should  come  to  the  church.  And  it 
will  not  come  if  we  all  labor  for  an  increase  of  love 
and  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost. 

"  Mistakes  have  been  made.  It  is  human  to 
err,  and  there  will  never  come  a  time  when  human 
activities,  be  they  ever  so  impersonal,  or  ever  so 
consecrated,  will  be  without  mistakes.  It  is  only 
when  activity  ceases  that  mistakes  do  not  occur. 
To  correct  errors  and  to  improve  on  the  past  is  only 
common  sense." — Gospel  Messenger. 

And,  although  D.  L.  had  sent  in  a  request  not 
to  be  re-elected  as  a  member  of  the  Missionary 
Committee,  he  was  elected  for  another  term  and 
made  chairman,  which  position  he  held  as  long  as 
he  continued  in  active  service.  Out  of  all  the  trou- 
ble which  hurt  him  deeply,  he  came  with  this  bit 
of  philosophy : 


184  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

"  The  human  heart  is  a  curious  compound 
made  up  of  good  and  evil.  No  man  is  wholly  good 
and  no  one  wholly  bad.  In  some  of  the  most  de- 
graded lives  you  will  find  some  good,  if  you  get 
down  to  it,  and  in  the  best  of  men  you  will  find 
weaknesses  if  you  come  to  know  them.  /  have  them. 
While  I  expect  them  in  others  I  am  not  looking  for 
them.  For  years  I  have  been  schooling  myself  to 
look  for  good  in  humanity,  and  I  find  it  wherever 
I  go,  and  often  when  I  least  expect  it." 

With  this  Annual  Conference  a  crisis  was 
passed  in  the  affairs  of  the  church.  The  church  defi- 
nitely backed  the  ownership  of  the  Publishing 
House,  and  that  issue  did  not  come  up  again,  and 
naturally  this  reacted  in  D.  L.'s  favor,  for  it  was 
setting  approval  on  the  work  of  many  years  of  his 
life.  In  1900,  and  again  in  1902,  he  was  made  mod- 
erator at  the  Conference,  the  highest  office  to  be 
given  by  the  Standing  Committee.  The  confidence 
of  the  whole  church  in  him  was  greatly  increased, 
and  thus  out  of  his  troubles  D.  L.  Miller,  one  of  the 
church  leaders,  emerged  our  adviser,  guide  and 
dearly  beloved  Father  Miller. 


CHAPTEE  XXI 

FIFTH  TRIP  ABROAD 

I  CONSENTED  to  cross  the  Atlantic  for  the 
eighth  time  without  the  least  desire  to  make 
another  ocean  voyage.  Instead  of  desire, 
there  was  hesitancy,  reluctance,  and  a  strong 
inclination  to  remain  at  home.  Wife  said,  'We 
have  had  quite  enough  of  ocean  voyages,  enough  of 
travel  in  strange  lands ;  let  us  abide  at  home.'  And 
it  was  several  months  before  she  gained  the  consent 
of  her  mind  to  accompany  me  on  this  journey.  The 
compensation  came  when  we  reached  the  Broder- 
ehj emmet — Brethren's  Home — at  Sindal,  Den- 
mark, on  last  Lord's  Day,  Sept.  4, 1898,  where  the 
members  had  assembled  to  hold  a  feast  of  love. 
The  warm,  heartfelt,  joyous  greeting  and  welcome 
accorded  us,  the  good  feast  and  the  meeting  blessed 
of  God,  which  was  continued  far  into  the  night,  the 
baptism  in  the  clear  stream  that  flows  close  by  the 
side  of  the  Home,  the  presence  of  the  Lord  with 
his  people,  and  the  satisfaction  of  duty  performed 
in  the  absence  of  desire,  brought  more  than  a  full 
measure  of  reward  for  the  very  little  we  had  done." 

At  Conference  it  had  been  decided  some  years 
before  that  the  foreign  missions  should  be  visited 
every  three  years,  and  as  Father  Miller  and  his 
wife  had  always  made  the  trip,  it  seemed  fitting 
to  the  Conference  that  they  should  make  it  again. 

185 


186  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

Travel  had  become  an  old  story,  and  they  under- 
took the  journey  only  from  a  sense  of  duty,  but 
as  he  wrote  above,  there  were  compensations. 

Brother  Christian  Hope  accompanied  them, 
with  the  intention  of  staying  in  Denmark  and  Swe- 
den for  a  time,  to  work  with  the  churches.  Breth- 
ren J.  H.  Moore,  W.  E.  Koop  and  G.  B.  Metsker,  and 
Sister  May  Oiler  also  went  along  to  make  the  tour 
through  Europe,  Palestine  and  Egypt.  Father  Mil- 
ler's own  interests  lay  principally  in  the  mission 
points  he  was  sent  to  inspect.  He  took  no  notes  on 
this  trip,  and  did  not  even  keep  a  diary,  for,  as  he 
wrote,  "  Girdling  the  Globe  "  was  his  last  book. 

After  visiting  the  various  churches  in  Den- 
mark and  Sweden,  an  important  council  was  held 
at  Malmo.  Brother  Moore  gave  a  brief  report  of 
this  in  the  Messenger,  Oct.  29, 1898 : 

"  The  attendance  was  large  and  all  the  elders 
and  ministers  in  Sweden  were  present.  .  .  . 
There  were  important  matters  to  be  adjusted,  and 
the  council  deemed  it  proper  to  select  your  Amer- 
ican brethren  as  a  committee,  with  Brother  Hope 
as  interpreter.  .  .  .  We  never  before  attended 
a  council,  called  to  consider  matters  so  perplexing, 
where  it  ended  with  such  a  good  feeling  and  happy 
results.  Brother  Miller  was  especially  rejoiced 
over  the  outcome  of  the  meeting,  for  he  was  sent 
here  to  set  in  order  the  things  needed,  and  can  now 
make  a  most  encouraging  report  to  the  next  Con- 
ference. With  judicious  management  the  outlook 
for  the  churches  in  Sweden  is  very  encouraging 
indeed." 


FIFTH  TRIP  ABROAD  187 

Father  Miller  gives  his  own  account  of  this 
council  in  a  private  letter,  dated  Sept.  25, 1898 : 

"  The  council  in  Malmo  was  a  new  revelation 
to  me  in  Swedish  character.  Speaking  through  an 
interpreter  is  a  great  regulator  of  the  feelings. 
The  members  stated  their  grievance  and  gave  in 
their  testimony  before  the  committee,  through 
Brother  Hope,  and  by  the  time  they  began  to  get  hot 
in  speech  they  had  to  stop  and  wait  until  what  they 
said  was  turned  into  English.  By  the  time  this 
was  done,  the  mercury  always  fell  several  degrees, 
and  the  result  was  most  satisfactory  to  all. 

"  I  believe  it  would  be  a  great  thing  to  intro- 
duce the  interpreter  system  into  our  councils  at 
home.  It  would  tend  to  cool  off  some  hot-headed 
men  and  women  and  there  would  be  fewer  unkind 
speeches.  Then  I  noticed  that  the  members  quiet- 
ly waited  their  time  to  speak.  They  very  modestly 
said,  'Bror  Mehler,'  indicating  that  they  had  some- 
thing to  say,  and  then  sat  down  and  abided  their 
time  until  called  upon.  I  have  actually  noted  as 
many  as  three  speaking  at  one  time  in  our  council 
meetings.  I  think  we  might  with  great  advantage 
introduce  the  Scandinavian  custom. 

"  One  of  these  times  we  shall  reach  a  plane  in 
our  religious  experience  when  we  shall  have  no 
need  for  council  meetings.  May  God  hasten  the 
time." 

They  traveled  from  Sweden  through  Ger- 
many, Italy  and  Greece,  to  Smyrna.  Going  through 
Germany,  the  entire  party  caught  heavy  colds,  and 
Mother  Miller  was  afflicted  with  boils,  having 
eleven  between  her  knee  and  ankle  at  one  time, 


188  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

naturally  making  traveling  unpleasant  for  her 
and  for  Father  Miller,  whose  sympathy  was  ever 
keen.  But  he  still  had  his  humorous  moments,  for 
in  Berlin  he  wrote : 

"  The  young  German  Kaiser  has  not  called  on 
us  as  yet,  but  we  excuse  the  seeming  neglect.  He 
is  very  busy  just  now  getting  ready  to  make  his 
first  trip  to  Palestine  and,  of  course,  it  is  a  big 
thing  for  him.  When  he  has  been  there  as  often 
as  we  have  he  will  not  take  it  so  hard. 
But  he  is  actually  going  to  take  ninety  people  with 
him,  and  his  going  is  likely  to  interfere  with  our 
comfort.  He  has  extended  an  invitation  to  all 
orthodox  bishops  and  elders  to  meet  at  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  new  church  at  Jerusalem  the  26th  of 
next  month.  As  we  have  no  desire  to  submit  our 
capacious  and  somewhat  aldermanic  proportions 
to  the  process  of  being  flattened  out,  we  think  of 
stopping  at  Damascus  until  the  crowd  is  all  over. 
I  never  did  hanker  after  emperors  and  I  am  not 
going  to  begin  in  my  old  days." 

October  12,  1898,  private  letter : 

"  Smyrna  next,  and  all  the  care  and  anxiety 
about  the  situation  there  gone,  absolutely  gone.  I 
go  there  feeling  that  God  will  take  care  of  the 
whole  business.  As  he  helps  me,  I'll  do  what  I  can. 
He  knows.  I  am  wondering  if  I  shall  continue  to 
be  in  this  frame  of  mind.  I  wish  it  would  abide 
with  me  until  I  go  hence.  It's  a  kind  of  spiritual 
land  of  corn  and  wine.  Perhaps  the  peaceful  quiet 
of  the  Bay  of  Naples  is  to  be  an  emblem  of  the  fu- 
ture peace  and  quiet  of  my  life." 

But  the  trip  to  Smyrna  was  not  as  peaceful 


FIFTH  TRIP  ABROAD  189 

as  he  had  hoped,  and  there  were  many  heartaches 
in  it  for  him.  He  was  met  with  the  warning  by 
an  outsider,  "About  your  work  in  Smyrna,  you 
must  have  great  precaution.  Not  only  must  you 
watch  those  who  have  shown  themselves  unchris- 
tian to  this  day,  but  much  more  care  is  necessary 
as  to  the  persons  that  surround  you." 

The  mission  in  Smyrna  had  gotten  into  seri- 
ous trouble.  An  orphanage  had  been  started  and 
four  of  the  orphans  had  been  baptized  by  Brother 
Fercken.  These  Armenian  orphans  had  been  bap- 
tized in  infancy,  according  to  the  custom  of  their 
church,  and  when  it  became  known  among  the  Ar- 
menians that  four  orphans  had  repudiated  their 
baptism  they  became  very  angry.  Some  of  the  or- 
phans were  taken  from  the  mission  and  forcibly 
held  in  Armenian  homes,  until  finally  complaint 
was  brought  against  the  orphanage  and  Brother 
Fercken,  saying  that  immoral  practices  had  been 
going  on  there.  The  committee  of  brethren,  with 
Father  Miller,  investigated  the  charges  and  exon- 
erated Brother  Fercken  of  any  blame  in  the  mat- 
ter. However,  through  the  danger  to  his  life, 
Brother  Fercken  was  compelled  to  leave  the  coun- 
try and  the  mission  was  without  a  head.  Father 
Miller  was  greatly  concerned  about  the  trouble.  It 
is  to  be  remembered  that  this  mission  was  especial- 
ly close  to  his  heart,  for  he  had  supported  it  en- 
tirely during  the  first  year  after  its  establishment. 
There  was  no  one  available  to  take  the  place.  He 


190  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

seriously  considered  remaining  there,  but  at  Ms 
age  it  would  have  been  very  hard  for  him  to  learn 
a  language,  and  the  climate  did  not  agree  with 
Mother  Miller's  health ;  so  after  staying  as  long  as 
possible  to  help  with  the  work,  he  finally  left,  to 
continue  the  journey  to  Palestine,  where  their 
traveling  companions  had  already  gone. 

On  his  return  trip,  the  following  spring,  Fa- 
ther Miller  again  spent  some  time  in  Smyrna, 
trusting  that  conditions  had  improved.  He  held 
a  love  feast  with  the  few  members  who  remained, 
but  it  was  hopeless  to  start  the  orphanage  again, 
for  the  sultan  had  issued  an  order  that  all  suc- 
cessful orphanages  should  be  closed.  No  one  who 
was  able  to  take  charge  of  the  mission  having  ap- 
peared, support  was  withdrawn  in  1900.  (For  a 
more  complete  account  of  this  affair  see  the  Gos- 
pel Messenger  for  Dec.  3,  1898,  July  1,  1899, 
"  Thirty-three  Years  of  Missions,"  and  Annual 
Meeting  Minutes  for  1898-99-1900.) 

Jerusalem  was  one  of  the  places  Father  Mil- 
ler loved  most  to  visit  and  he  never  tired  of  study- 
ing the  city.  Thanksgiving  was  spent  there  this 
year  of  1898.  He  wrote : 

"  We  are  all  quite  well  and  happy.  Mother  is 
a  little  stiff  from  donkey  riding,  but  that  will  soon 
be  over  with.  By  the  way,  the  other  day  she  was 
riding  a  donkey  named  McKinley,  and  he  stum- 
bled and  fell  and  let  her  down  gracefully  on  the 
street.  The  donkey  boy  said, i  I  am  too  much  sorry. 


FIFTH  TRIP  ABROAD  191 

Your  lady,  lie  fell  down.'  We  had  a  special  Thanks- 
giving service  in  our  hotel.  The  reception  room 
was  decorated  with  American  flags  from  the  Amer- 
ican consulate.  Dr.  Merrill,  the  American  consul, 
read  the  President's  Proclamation  and  I  an- 
nounced the  opening  hymn,  '  My  Country,  '  Tis  of 
Thee.'  I  then  read  the  first  part  of  the  ninety- 
fifth  Psalm  and  opened  the  meeting  with  prayer. 
Then,  after  singing,  'All  Hail  the  Power  of  Jesus' 
Name,'  Dr.  Beiler,  chancellor  of  the  Washington 
(D.  C.)  University,  spoke  about  twenty  minutes, 
followed  by  Dr.  Merrill  and  myself.  Brother 
Moore  was  not  feeling  well  and  he  declined  to  take 
part  in  the  service.  Twenty  Americans  were  pres- 
ent and  all  enjoyed  the  first  American  Thanks- 
giving in  Jerusalem.  At  dinner  we  had,  among 
other  things,  turkey  with  mince  pie  and  pumpkin 
pie,  after  the  American  fashion." 

Father  and  Mother  Miller  continued  their 
journey  toward  India  with  May  Oiler,  while  the 
rest  of  the  party  returned  to  America.  After  the 
troublous  time  at  Smyrna,  Bulsar  was  like  home. 
At  the  station,  to  meet  them,  were  all  the  mission- 
aries, with  numerous  natives,  "whose  greeting  was 
as  cordial  and  hearty  as  that  of  loving  children 
for  parents.  It  was  a  glad  and  joyous  time,  an 
experience  on  the  pathway  of  life  not  soon  to  be 
forgotten." 

They  spent  the  winter  in  Bulsar,  enjoying  the 
pleasant  climate  during  that  season.  Here  the  mis- 
sion was  rapidly  progressing  toward  success.  The 
first  missionaries  had  mastered  the  language  and 


192  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

were  starting  the  real  work.  Others  had  come  to 
swell  the  number,  until  there  was  quite  a  little  par- 
ty of  them.  Father  Miller  and  "Maijee,"  the  Indian 
name  for  mother,  became  as  one  of  them.  He  took 
an  active  interest  in  the  work  of  the  mission,  visit- 
ing in  the  native  homes,  attending  the  services  with 
the  natives,  studying  missionary  methods  and 
helping  to  plan  the  work  of  the  mission.  A  fam- 
ine had  been  over  the  land  of  India  and  many  or- 
phans were  to  be  cared  for.  His  reports  were  de- 
pended on  by  the  Missionary  Committee  to  guide 
them  in  their  actions,  and  it  was  finally  decided  to 
build  an  orphanage.  So  well  did  they  enjoy  In- 
dian life  that  they  desired  to  remain  there  a  year 
to  help  with  the  construction  of  the  orphanage,  but 
on  investigation  it  was  found  that  it  would  cost 
$400  to  have  their  tickets  extended,  so  they  con- 
cluded to  return  home  at  the  time  previously  set. 

The  following  letter  tells  something  of  the 
problems,  both  physical  and  spiritual,  that  the  mis- 
sionaries had  to  meet,  and  still  have,  for  that  mat- 
ter: 

"  This  morning  Wilbur  and  I  went  to  the  home 
of  one  of  our  native  teachers.  They  have  a  new 
baby,  a  boy  three  days  old.  I  had  the  honor  of 
naming  the  tiny  bit  of  humanity  '  Samuel,'  a  good 
old  Bible  name  and  the  one  borne  by  Brother  Mc- 
Cann.  The  house  has  two  rooms;  the  floors,  the 
ususal  cow-dung  mixture  so  common  in  this  coun- 
try. The  teacher  insisted  on  giving  us  tea.  Tea- 
cups were  set  on  the  floor  and  the  spoons  were  also 


"  MAIJEE  "  AND  HER  FRIENDS 


FIFTH  TRIP  ABROAD  193 

laid  by  the  side  of  the  saucers.  The  tea  was  poured, 
the  spoons  taken  from  the  floor  and  used  for  stir- 
ring the  tea,  and  I  drank  mine  without  even  clos- 
ing my  eyes.  You  can  easily  get  used  to  things  if 
you  have  to. 

"  For  two  evenings  I  have  had  a  lot  of  Hin- 
dus to  consult  me  as  to  religion.  They  all  talk 
good  English.  I  rather  upset  their  faith  when  I 
told  them  I  had  traveled  around  the  world  and 
found  nothing  but  salt-water  oceans.  Their  books 
teach  that  there  are  seven  seas,  or  oceans,  one  of 
salt  water,  one  of  sweet  water,  one  of  clarified  but- 
ter, one  of  milk,  one  of  honey,  etc.,  etc.  When  I 
asked  them  if  they  believed  me,  they  said,  '  Yes, 
we  saw  you  three  years  ago  and  you  have  been  all 
over  the  world.' 

" i  Well,'  I  said,  i  if  you  believe  me,  then  you 
cannot  believe  your  sacred  books,  for  they  tell  you 
there  are  seas  of  butter,  milk,  honey,  etc.,  and  I 
say  there  are  none.'  They  had  to  believe  this.  These 
Hindu  youths  from  eighteen  to  twenty  are  of  the 
upper  caste,  one  of  them  a  Brahmin.  I  found  they 
actually  worship  the  idol  and  not  the  god  through 
the  idol. 

"  We  also  had  a  call  from  two  Hindus  of  the 
Baunia  caste — merchants — one  a  money  lender 
and  the  other  a  maker  of  fireworks.  They  wanted 
to  see  the  '  Padre  Sahib  '  (that's  me).  Wilbur  is 
(  Stover  Sahib  '  to  them,  but  I  am  Padre,  father  of 
the  whole  business.  They  want  to  be  baptized,  and 
say  that  they  are  ready  to  do  all  that  is  required  of 
them.  But  if  they  become  Christians,  they  lose 
caste,  and  none  of  their  people  will  have  anything 
to  do  with  them.  Nobody  will  borrow  the  money 


194  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

lenders'  few  rupees,  and  no  one  will  buy  fireworks 
from  the  other.  Now  they  say, '  What  shall  we  do?' 
And  this  is  the  greatest  problem  we  have  to  solve 
in  India." 

The  time  came  for  them  to  say  good-by  to  their 
Indian  home,  for  they  loved  it  as  if  it  were  their 
real  home.  In  many  ways  this  had  been  a  sad  and 
troublous  trip  for  Father  Miller  and  Maijee.  The 
failure  of  the  mission  at  Smyrna  was  a  great  trial, 
and  the  constant  worry  over  the  troubles  at  home 
had  weighed  heavily  upon  them.  India  had  been  a 
respite  from  these  things.  So  it  was  with  sorrow- 
ful hearts  that  they  said  farewell  and  started  on 
the  return  voyage. 

Cholera  was  discovered  on  the  ship  on  their 
voyage  through  the  Indian  Ocean.  They  were 
landed  near  the  Wells  of  Moses  by  the  Ked  Sea  and 
staid  a  week  before  sailing  again.  None  of  the 
party  had  taken  the  dread  disease,  so  they  started 
on  in  safety. 

In  Eome,  Father  Miller  was  taken  very  sud- 
denly and  dangerously  ill  with  bowel  trouble.  His 
life  was  saved  and  he  recovered,  but  never  re- 
gained his  old  vigor,  for  this  was  the  beginning  of 
the  many  illnesses  he  had  during  his  declining 
years. 

Finally  they  arrived  home  safely  in  August, 
1899,  after  a  thirteen  months'  voyage — reached  the 
home  to  which  they  always  loved  to  return. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

BIBLE  LAND  TALKS 

APRIL  8,  1888,  Father  Miller  gave  his  first 
Bible  Land  Talk.  That  was  about  a  year 
after  he  had  entered  the  ministry,  and  he 
found  that  the  experience  during  his  first  trip 
abroad  gave  him  valuable  material  for  public 
speeches.  During  the  first  part  of  July,  1890,  he 
gave  a  series  of  nine  Bible  Land  Talks  in  the  chapel 
at  Mount  Morris.  He  likewise  had  the  opportunity 
to  deliver  them  at  other  places,  but  it  was  not  un- 
til the  spring  of  1891  that  he  bought  a  lantern,  to 
use  in  illusrating  these  talks.  He  had  some  seven- 
ty views,  or  more,  for  his  first  series  of  lectures. 
In  the  Gospel  Messenger  for  May  26, 1891,  Brother 
Moore  presents  a  brief  account  of  his  success  in 
speaking,  and  tells  of  being  invited  to  Father  Mil- 
ler's home  to  see  the  first  lantern  slides  exhibited. 
At  this  time  a  special  Bible  term  was  in  session 
at  the  college,  and  many  prominent  elders  from  all 
over  the  church  were  in  attendance.  These  men 
were  invited  to  see  the  slides,  and  their  advice  was 
sought  on  the  propriety  of  using  the  pictures  in  the 
various  churches.  With  their  influence  back  of 
him,  and  by  giving  the  churches  where  he  talked 

195 


196  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

the  option  of  having  the  pictures  or  not,  D.  L.  was 
able  to  introduce  the  lantern  and  slides  in  many 
places  where  he  otherwise  could  not  have  done  so. 
Here,  again,  he  shows  his  tact  in  dealing  with  a 
delicate  situation. 

With  this  beginning,  the  Bible  Land  Talks  in- 
creased in  number  and  popularity.  From  each 
trip  abroad  Father  Miller  brought  back  more  pho- 
tographs, to  be  made  into  slides,  until  he  had  a 
great  number,  fully  illustrating  all  of  his  travels. 
He  did  not  select  his  pictures  solely  for  interest, 
but  rather  to  illustrate  the  central  theme  of  his 
public  utterances — the  truth  of  the  Bible,  as  re- 
vealed by  actual  customs  in  the  Holy  Land.  Later 
on,  pictures  depicting  the  need  of  missions  were  se- 
lected and  added  to  the  list,  and  finally  some  beau- 
tiful illustrations  of  China  and  Japan. 

His  manner  as  a  speaker  was  dignified.  He 
had  a  voice  well  modulated,  that  would  carry  over 
a  large  audience.  Earely  did  he  use  gestures  in 
speaking,  and  never  did  he  become  heated  in  argu- 
ment. Probably  it  was  because  he  could  not  be 
seen  during  his  talks,  that  the  qualities  of  his  voice 
made  a  very  deep  impression  on  his  audience. 
There  was  a  certain  enthusiasm,  a  conviction  of 
truth,  a  confidence  in  the  conclusions  drawn,  as  re- 
vealed in  the  tone  of  his  voice,  that  carried  the  same 
conviction  and  confidence  to  his  hearers. 

The  Bible  Land  Talks  became  exceedingly  pop- 
ular. It  was  the  custom  to  have  one  at  most  of  the 


BIBLE  LAND  TALKS  197 

Conferences  during  the  nineties.  Between  trips 
abroad  nearly  all  his  time  was  taken  up  with  them, 
and  would  have  been  entirely  so,  if  he  had  pos- 
sessed the  strength  to  answer  all  the  calls  made  up- 
on him.  In  most  places  where  he  lectured  the 
churches  were  packed  until  there  was  not  even 
standing  room  left.  In  1900,  at  North  Manchester, 
Indiana,  he  gave  three  lectures  a  day,  in  order  to 
accommodate  the  crowds.  To  afford  some  idea  of 
the  attendance  the  following  private  letter  is 
quoted : 

"  For  crowds  commend  me  to  North  Manches- 
ter. I  closed  on  Monday  night.  At  six  o'clock  they 
sent  for  me,  saying  that  the  house  was  i  jam-full.' 
Brethren  Trout  and  Zollers  were  with  me,  and 
when  we  got  to  the  chapel  we  found  it  packed  in- 
side and  out.  I  tried  to  get  in,  but  it  was  hard 
work.  Zollers  and  Trout  pushed  after  me.  Inch 
by  inch  we  made  our  way.  Brother  George  stuck 
by  me,  but  Trout  got  cut  off.  Finally  we  came  to 
a  solid  barrier  of  women.  I  had  either  to  go 
through  or  climb  over  them.  I  crowded  in.  It  was 
hard  work,  but  success  attended  the  effort  and  we 
got  through. 

"  This  is  the  last  meeting  of  this  kind  I  will 
hold.  One  night,  in  the  jam,  a  sister  was  badly  in- 
jured. I  don't  intend  to  be  the  cause  of  getting 
such  a  crowd  together  again.  The  floor  of  the 
chapel  settled  down,  and  there  was  some  fear  it 
would  go  down.  I  didn't  know  this  until  the  meet- 
ings were  over.  If  anything  had  happened  and  a 
panic  had  resulted,  the  results  would  have  been 


198  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

frightful.    Every  aisle  and  every  inch  of  standing 
room  was  crowded." 

At  another  place  a  large  tent  was  secured  for 
the  ever-increasing  crowds,  which  numbered  from 
twelve  hundred  to  two  thousand.  At  his  home 
town,  Mount  Morris,  where  he  gave  over  ninety  of 
these  lectures  in  the  chapel,  the  attendance  was  al- 
ways large.  The  doors  would  be  closed  until  a  cer- 
tain time.  When  they  were  opened,  almost  imme- 
diately the  chapel  would  be  filled,  with  many  stand- 
ing along  the  sides.  Now  and  then  D.  L.  wrote  of 
a  place  where  few  were  present,  usually  owing 
to  a  storm.  But  the  size  of  the  crowd  made  no  dif- 
ference in  the  enthusiasm  with  which  he  gave  his 
lecture.  He  always  wrote  of  having  the  same  in- 
spiration before  a  small  house  as  he  had  with  a 
large  one.  The  following  incident  was  related  of 
the  impression  he  made  on  one  church,  where  he 
spoke  in  1901 : 

"  When  we  heard  that  D.  L.  Miller  was  com- 
ing to  give  his  talks,  the  whole  countryside  was 
electrified.  Every  one  was  talking  about  it.  We 
lived  eight  miles  away  and  drove  with  a  horse  and 
buggy  to  and  from  the  church  every  night  he  was 
there.  He  always  preached  in  the  morning  and 
gave  his  lecture  at  night.  One  Saturday  morning 
my  father  and  I  went  out  to  the  field  to  work.  I 
wanted  to  go  to  the  church  to  hear  D.  L.  Miller 
preach,  but  I  did  not  dream  of  asking  to  get  off 
from  the  work  that  I  knew  was  to  be  done.  Final- 
ly my  father  said : 


BIBLE  LAND  TALKS  199 

" '  It's  a  shame  to  work  when  a  man  like  D. 
L.  Miller  is  preaching  this  morning.' 

"  I  heartily  agreed. 

" '  Let's  let  the  work  go,'  he  continued,  '  and 
go  to  hear  him.' 

"  We  dropped  our  work  and  hurried  to  the 
house. 

" '  Come  on,  mother,'  he  called,  '  get  ready. 
We  are  going  to  church  this  morning.' 

"And  so  we  went  to  hear  him  preach." 

His  Bible  Land  Talks  did  more  than  entertain. 
They  informed,  inspired  and  brought  converts  to 
the  church.    The  following  letter  is  only  one  ex- 
ample of  many : 
"  Dear  Friend  and  Brother : 

"  I  take  this  opportunity  of  writing  you,  to 
let  you  know  of  some  of  the  good  results  of  your 
lectures  on  your  travels  through  the  Bible  Lands. 
I  heard  you  several  years  ago,  at  the  church  north 
of  Milford,  Indiana,  and  at  the  Berkey  church, 
southeast  of  Goshen.  I  always  doubted  some  pas- 
sages of  Scripture,  until  the  first  time  I  heard  you 
talk  on  your  travels.  Eight  here  I  want  to  say 
that  you  have  done  more  than  any  other  preacher 
toward  turning  me  from  sin  and  setting  my  face 
Zionward.  I  shall  always  remember  you  as  one 
who  has  done  my  soul  good.  ...  I  believe  your 
lectures  on  your  travels  in  the  Holy  Lands  have 
been  the  means  of  bringing  many  souls  to  Christ." 

All  of  the  proceeds  from  these  talks,  after  the 
immediate  expenses  were  taken  out,  were  turned 
over  to  the  Mission  Board,  to  further  the  cause  of 
missions  in  the  church.  Probably  few  realize  the 


200  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

amount  of  money  thus  given,  or  the  real  value  of 
the  talks.  One  woman — a  school-teacher  in  a 
neighboring  town — said  they  were  better  than  sim- 
ilar lectures  she  had  heard  by  Burton  Holmes. 
But  Father  Miller  never  gave  much  consideration 
to  such  remarks,  and  was  always  very  sensitive 
about  speaking  of  his  success  in  this  work,  for  fear 
it  would  be  taken  as  boasting.  He  put  his  heart 
and  soul  into  the  talks  and  left  the  results  with  the 
Lord. 

A  few  times  he  gave  his  talks  for  other  pur- 
poses than  missions.  He  wrote  of  one  such  expe- 
rience thus : 

"  We  closed  up  at  O—  -  last  night  with  a 
crowded  house.  I  gave  the  talks  for  the  benefit  of 
the  public  school  library  and  they  are  to  the  fore 
some  sixty  dollars.  It  made  me  a  little  warm,  yes- 
terday evening,  at  the  close,  to  find  that,  after  I 
gave  my  services  nominally  free,  the  -  -  should 
charge  twenty  dollars  for  the  use  of  their  church 
for  four  evenings.  I  went  to  the  town  to  help  the 
public  school,  and  every  mother's  son  of  a  -  — , hav- 
ing children  of  a  school  age,  ought  to  be  more  in- 
terested in  supplying  his  children  with  good  books 
than  I.  And  yet  they  put  their  hands  in  and  took 
out  twenty  dollars  after  having  the  lectures  at  a 
nominal  sum.  They  talk  of  the  narrow  Dunkers, 
but  for  the  real,  genuine,  infinitesimal  narrowness, 
commend  me  to  the  average  -  — .  They  remind 
me  of  Beecher's  experience  with  a  minister  who  had 
severely  criticised  him.  Some  of  the  members  of 
his  church  insisted  that  the  great  preacher  should 


THIS  EVENING 

—TUESDAY,.  JAN.,  17,-- 

AT  6  O'CLOCK 

BISHOP  I).  L.  MILLER 

LATELY  FROM  AMERICA 


OBSERVATIONS  IN  PALESTINE, 

IN  THETABERNAGLE  BETWEEN  THE 
MUNICIPAL  BUILDING  AND   TRIVOLI   THEA 
TER,  AND  OPPOSITE  VICTORIA  TERMINUS. 


ALL  ARE  CORDIALLY  INVITED  TO  ATTEND 
THIS  SERVICE,  AND  ALSO  THE  SERVICES  TO  BE 
HELD  IN  THIS  TABERNACLE  AT  6  P.  M.,  EVERY  DAY 
TILL  JAN..  23rd,  BY  THE  "INDIA  WATCHMAN'' 
MISSION,  DADAR, 

—  Mr.  filler,  who  speaks  to  us  this  evening,  is  editor  of  the  "Gospel 
Messenger."  a  Christian  weekly  newspaper  with  n  circulation  of  20,000,  and 
is  author  of  tbost  good  books  entitled  "Europe  and  Bible  Land,"  "Wand- 
erings in  Bible,  Lands,"  "Seven  Cturches  in  Asia"  and  "Girdling'  tbe 
Globe."— 


BIBLE  LAND  TALKS  201 

reply  to  him.  Beecher  said,  '  No,'  and  continued : 
'  Once  upon  a  time  this  man  said  a  very  unkind 
thing  to  me  and  I  just  turned  him  over  my  knee  and 
was  about  to  administer  discipline  after  the  man- 
ner of  our  fathers,  and — don't  you  know — God  had 
not  made  a  place  on  that  man  broad  enough  on 
which  to  lay  my  hand.'  You  can't  broaden  some 
men." 

In  1911  he  stopped  lecturing  regularly  and 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  preaching.  Feb.  11, 
1911,  he  wrote  from  Mount  Morris : 

"  I  finished  my  lectures  last  night,  begun  when 
you  were  here.  ...  In  closing  I  said  that  this, 
in  all  probability,  would  be  my  last  lecture  and— 
do  you  know — I  came  home  feeling  sad  over  it.  I 
found  myself  wishing  that  I  were  young  again,  so 
that  I  could  do  more  work  for  the  church." 

During  the  last  nine  years  of  his  life  he  spent 
in  preaching  all  of  the  time  that  his  health  permit- 
ted. His  time  was  constantly  taken  up  for  a  year 
or  more  in  advance.  Sometimes  he  was  so  weak 
from  the  severe  heart  attacks  which  he  so  often  had 
in  his  last  days  that  he  would  have  to  be  helped  to 
the  church,  but  he  never  disappointed  an  audience, 
unless  it  was  absolutely  impossible  to  get  there. 
Once  he  was  asked  why  he  insisted  on  keeping  up 
his  preaching,  since  his  health  was  so  poor,  and 
since  he  had  a  comfortable  home.  It  was  intimated 
that,  after  having  spent  such  an  active  life  of  work 
for  the  church,  he  surely  deserved  a  rest.  He  re- 
plied that  God,  in  a  modest  way,  had  set  approval 


202  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

on  his  work  in  the  saving  of  souls,  and  when  he  had 
so  many  urgent  calls  he  felt  that  he  could  not  re- 
fuse to  go  as  long  as  he  had  the  strength  to  do  so. 

"  On  hearing  the  sermon,  "  The  Sunny  Side  of 
Life,"  an  elderly  man  in  his  audience  once  said: 
"  Brother  Miller,  eighteen  months  ago  my  wife 
worried  herself  into  a  sanitarium  and  died.  You 
ought  to  have  this  sermon  printed  and  circulated 
as  a  tract  for  the  good  it  will  do."  And  again,  Fa- 
ther Miller  was  told  after  delivering  the  sermon, 
"  God's  Best,"  that  the  listener  had  heard  Beech- 
er,  Talmage  and  other  great  preachers,  but  never 
had  his  heart  been  so  moved  as  by  the  sermon  just 
mentioned. 

There  is  no  way  of  estimating  the  large  num- 
ber of  sermons  he  delivered  during  his  lifetime.  In 
the  chapel  at  Mount  Morris  alone,  he  had  preached 
three  hundred  and  five  times  before  the  summer  of 
1917.  As  Brother  H.  C.  Early  so  aptly  says  in  his 
brief  biography,  his  sermons  are  "  towers  of  beauty 
and  strength.  And  while  he  entered  the  ministry 
reluctantly  and  at  middle  life,  he  ranked  among 
the  ablest  preachers  of  the  church,  and  did  more 
preaching  and  lecturing,  especially  in  the  latter 
part  of  his  life,  than  any  other  man  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  ministry.  His  example  ought  to 
make  a  tremendous  appeal  to  the  younger  minis- 
ters of  the  church." 

But  the  church  was  his  life.  To  her  he  gave 
his  money,  his  time  and  his  life. 


CHAPTEK  XXIII 

ANOTHER  NEW  HOME 

IN  January,  1900,  Father  Miller  sold  the  home 
they  had  lived  in  for  so  many  years  in  the 
southern  part  of  Mount  Morris,  and  bought  a 
lot  in  the  western  part  on  which  to  build  another 
home.  At  that  time  they  had  some  thought  of  mov- 
ing to  Elgin,  but  it  was  rather  hard  to  break  away 
from  their  friends,  and  Father  Miller  had  arrived 
at  an  age  when  he  did  not  care  to  be  so  closely  con- 
nected with  the  immediate  church  interests  as  he 
had  been.  It  was  hard  to  give  up  their  old  home, 
as  he  wrote  at  the  time : 

"  The  other  day,  when  I  fully  realized  that  I 
had  sold  the  home,  and  we  all  began  to  talk  it 
over  and  think  it  over,  there  was  a  kind  of  funeral 
air  about  the  premises.  But  that  has  all  passed 
away  and  I  am  feeling  better  about  it.  But  there 
are  some  very  pleasant  memories  connected  with 
the  Saints'  Kest.  I  am  not  going  to  tell  about 
them.  I  am  not  quite  up  to  it  yet.  But  I  have 
bought  a  place  to  build,  and,  the  Lord  willing,  you 
will  find  me  by  the  end  of  the  summer  located  in  a 
pleasant  cottage  built  around  a  library  where  Sis- 
ter Heminger  once  lived.  I  haven't  any  plans  made 
out  yet,  but  the  house  will  be  built  this  summer. 

203 


204  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

Then  you  can  come  home.    It  is  going  to  be  a  new 
Saints'  Best." 

The  house  he  built  was  something  more  than 
a  cottage,  being  full  two  stories  and  having  eight 
large  rooms — and  it  was  built  around  a  library.  In 
the  fall  when  it  had  been  finished  he  again  wrote : 

"I  am  happy  to  be  at  home  again.  I  just  walked 
into  our  new  home  and  found  it  ready  for  me.  It 
pays  for  all  the  privations  endured  in  Missouri. 
After  all,  the  most  blessed  thing  in  all  the  world  is 
the  homecoming  after  you  have  been  away  for  a 
time.  So,  after  life's  fitful  fever  is  over,  will  be 
the  blessed  homegoing." 

True  enough,  the  home  was  built  around  the 
library.  Here,  in  the  early  morning,  Father  Mil- 
ler often  wrote  letters  before  breakfast  while  he 
was  waiting  for  the  family  to  gather  for  worship. 
Lillie  Weller  and  Minnie  Replogle  were  the  two 
girls  who  lived  the  longest  with  them  during  these 
years.  They  were  a  part  of  the  family.  After 
breakfast  was  prepared  all  would  gather  in  the 
library,  with  whatever  guests  might  be  present,  to 
start  the  day  with  real  worship.  There  was  no  hy- 
pocrisy, no  insincerity  in  Father  Miller's  prayers 
and  reading  of  the  Bible.  No  one  could  go  out 
from  those  simple  services  without  being  better  for 
them. 

Breakfast  eaten,  the  women  went  about  the 
duties  of  the  house,  Mother  Miller  to  her  room  up- 
stairs, which  she  always  cared  for  herself,  and 
Father  to  the  garden,  or  uptown  for  the  mail,  or 


ANOTHER  NEW  HOME  205 

perhaps  to  finish  writing  his  letters  or  to  read 
some  book.  Then  the  day  would  be  spent  in  writ- 
ing or  study,  as  the  case  might  be,  and  as  he  grew 
older,  more  and  more  in  reading.  He  sat  many 
hours  in  his  leather  chair  by  the  north  window 
with  his  books.  His  reading  covered  a  wide  range 
of  subjects.  He  had  made  himself  an  authority  on 
Bible  questions  and  constantly  read  on  this  sub- 
ject. The  Bible  he  read  over  many,  many  times, 
and  he  often  spoke  of  the  good  he  received  from 
each  perusal.  In  his  library,  besides  these  books 
of  a  religious  nature,  were  many  of  history  and 
nearly  all  of  the  best  English  classics.  These  he 
very  much  enjoyed  reading.  He  read  the  newspa- 
pers and  many  of  the  best  magazines  published. 
All  received  his  intelligent  consideration. 

Into  his  library  during  the  day  came  many 
friends  and  persons  to  consult  him.  While  Brother 
J.  E.  Miller  was  president  of  the  college,  he  and  his 
wif e  were  daily  visitors,  loved  and  received  as  mem- 
bers of  the  family.  The  professors  from  the  col- 
lege brought  their  problems  for  his  consideration. 
The  workers  in  the  Mount  Morris  church  came  for 
help  and  advice.  Students  from  the  school  called 
to  see  his  library  and  his  many  relics  from  Pales- 
tine. Old  friends  of  years'  standing  came  to  visit, 
and  leaders  in  the  church  sought  counsel  and  ad- 
vice from  the  aging  man  in  his  chair  by  the  window. 
And  into  this  library  also  came  many  who  had 
sinned,  or  who  were  misunderstood,  or  who  had 


206  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

failed,  for  comfort  and  advice,  which  they  never 
failed  to  receive.  Truly,  the  peace  and  joy  which 
emanated  from  this  library  blessed  many  a  heart. 

Outside  of  the  north  window  near  the  garden 
was  a  bird  bath.  The  whole  family  greatly  en- 
joyed watching  the  numerous  birds  that  came  there 
daily.  Father  Miller  got  a  great  deal  of  pleasure 
out  of  this,  and  put  up  many  houses  for  the  birds, 
to  entice  them  to  his  home.  One  martin  house  was 
five  stories  high,  octagon  in  shape,  and  had  forty 
compartments.  Every  room  was  occupied,  too. 
He  had  five  martin  houses  besides  houses  for  wrens 
and  other  birds.  He  tells  of  the  coming  of  the  mar- 
tins in  the  following  letter : 

"  Tell  Anna  the  martins  came  the  same  after- 
noon you  left.  I  was  looking  for  them  April  6,  and 
behold  they  came.  '  Yea,  the  stork  in  the  heaven 
knoweth  her  appointed  times;  and  the  turtle  and 
the  crane  and  the  swallow  observe  the  time  of  their 
coming ;  but  my  people  know  not  the  judgment  of 
the  Lord.'  The  martin  belongs  to  the  swallow  fam- 
ily. They  observe  the  time  of  their  coming.  I  had 
their  houses  cleaned  and  opened  for  them  on  the 
morning  of  the  6th,  and  in  the  afternoon  they  were 
chirping  and  chattering  about  their  bird  homes  as 
happy  as  they  could  be." 

The  sparrows  longed  for  these  bird  homes,  and 
many  were  the  fights  over  possession.  Father  Mil- 
ler helped  the  martins  with  his  air  gun.  From  an- 
other letter  is  the  following : 

"  Tell  John  I  have  shot  forty-eight  sparrows 


ANOTHER  NEW  HOME  207 

and  used  forty-seven  cartridges.  I  have  also 
trapped  thirty-three.  Yet,  notwithstanding  this 
slaughter  of  the  innocents,  there  are  plenty  still 
here.  The  other  day  I  received  a  bulletin  from  the 
Department  of  Agriculture  entitled,  '  The  English 
Sparrow  as  a  Pest ' — Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  493.  It 
makes  interesting  reading  and  strongly  recom- 
mends the  sparrow  as  a  palatable,  nutritious, 
healthful  article  of  food.  Tells  how  to  trap  them, 
clean  and  cook  them.  Send  for  it  and  reduce  your 
meat  bill." 

Tulips  were  one  of  his  favorite  flowers.  Every 
year  he  had  literally  thousands  blooming  in  his 
garden.  He  wrote  the  following  account  of  them : 

"  From  my  mother  I  inherited  my  love  for  gar- 
dening and  flowers.  In  my  boyhood  days  I  worked 
willingly  in  her  garden  and  always  loved  that  kind 
of  work.  .  .  .  One  spring  I  had  nearly  five  thou- 
sand of  the  most  beautiful  tulips  blooming  in  my 
garden.  .  .  .  The  tulip  bed  was  a  thing  of  beau- 
ty, never  to  be  forgotten.  In  it  were  all  colors  and 
also  the  striped  varieties.  The  colors  were  kept 
separate;  thus  a  row  of  scarlet,  then  white,  then 
yellow,  and  so  on  until  color  after  color  covered 
the  bed.  To  me  there  always  was  an  unsolved  mys- 
tery in  the  color  of  the  tulips.  In  the  fall  you 
might  take  a  hundred  bulbs,  if  you  did  not  know 
their  names  and  colors,  and  plant  them  in  the  same 
soil.  All  the  bulbs  would  look  exactly  alike,  all  the 
same  weight,  and  you  might  have  a  chemist  analyze 
them  and  he  would  find  them  all  alike.  Planted  in 
the  same  soil,  heated  by  the  same  rays  of  the  sun, 
moistened  by  the  same  raindrops,  and  yet  each 
would  bring  forth  a  different  color.  I  asked  a  cele- 


208  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

brated  scientist  to  tell  me  why  and  he  said  he  did 
not  know.  The  Bible  tells  why.  God  said  every- 
thing should  bring  forth  after  its  kind." 

That  "  a  prophet  is  not  without  honor  save  in 
his  own  country  "  did  not  apply  to  Father  Miller. 
He  was  very  much  loved  and  respected  in  Mount 
Morris.  When  he  and  Mother  Miller  would  return 
from  one  of  their  trips  abroad,  the  station  plat- 
form would  be  filled  with  friends  who  had  come  to 
welcome  them  home — to  welcome  them  as  if  they 
were  their  own  family.  In  the  council  meetings  of 
the  church,  Father's  voice  could  often  quiet  a  dis- 
cussion, and  his  opinions  were  listened  to  and  usu- 
ally acted  upon.  During  one  of  the  longer  periods 
when  he  was  at  home  he  was  elected  elder  of  the 
church.  His  attitude  toward  the  members,  his  love 
for  the  work  and  for  the  church  can  be  seen  in  this 
letter,  which  he  once  sent  to  each  of  the  members : 

"  Mount  Morris,  111.,  Aug.  10,  1903. 
"  Dear  Sister : 

"  In  the  spirit  of  love,  I  am  writing  to  each  of 
the  members  of  the  Silver  Creek  church.  I  cannot 
now  have  a  personal  interview  with  you,  and  have 
adopted  this  plan  to  have  a  talk  with  each  mem- 
ber of  the  church.  A  recent  council  of  the  church 
asked  me  to  act  as  elder  in  place  of  Brother  D.  E. 
Price,  who  after  long  years  of  faithful  service  re- 
signed. Temporarily  I  have  accepted  the  call,  and 
by  the  help  of  God  and  the  hearty  co-operation  of 
all  the  members  will  do  the  best  I  can  in  the  re- 
sponsible position  you  have  asked  me  to  assume. 

"  The  earnest  and  hearty  help  of  each  member 


ANOTHER  NEW  HOME  209 

of  the  church  is  needed,  and  I  most  earnestly  be- 
seech you,  dearly  beloved  in  the  Lord,  with  all  the 
dear  members  of  the  church,  to  take  up  and  care- 
fully and  seriously  consider  the  following  ques- 
tions : 

"  How  can  we  best  maintain  the  principles  of 
the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  church,  to  the  end 
that  we  may,  as  a  church,  reach  a  higher  standard 
of  spirituality  and  a  closer  walk  with  God? 
Worldliness  is  besetting  the  church  today,  as  it 
always  has  and  always  will  beset  her.  We  must 
meet  the  issue.  Will  we  stand  unified  with  the 
effort  to  maintain  the  gospel  principles  of  plain- 
ness? 

"  How  can  we  make  our  prayer  meetings  more 
spiritual  and  helpful  to  the  entire  church?  .  .  . 

"  How  can  we  get  all  of  our  members  to  attend 
Sunday-school?  .  .  . 

"  How  can  we  improve  our  regular  preaching 
services?  .  .  . 

"  Would  it  not  be  well  for  all  of  us  to  culti- 
vate to  a  greater  degree  our  social  qualities,  so  that 
we  may  visit  more  and  have  more  of  the  family 
spirit  in  the  church,  thus  insuring  the  growth  of 
brotherly  love  which  is  in  danger  of  becoming 
cold?  And  in  these  visits  would  it  not  be  well  to 
spend  some  time  in  social  prayer? 

"Are  we  giving  to  the  cause  of  Christ  as  he 
has  prospered  us?  ... 

"  Will  you  not  set  apart  a  special  time  in  which 
you  earnestly  engage  in  prayer  that  God  may  bless 
his  people  and  that  the  church  may  become  a  great- 
er power  for  good,  that  the  membership  may  receive 
the  fullness  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  that  we  may 


210  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

all  be  more  consecrated,  more  devoted  and  more 
earnest  in  our  Christian  lives,  and  less  worldly  in 
our  desires? 

"  The  church  cannot  be  better  than  the  av- 
erage of  its  membership.  As  each  one  of  us  be- 
comes more  spiritually  minded,  more  prayerful, 
more  earnest  in  our  Christian  work,  more  zealous 
for  the  cause  of  Christ,  so  will  the  church  attain  to 
a  higher  standard  of  excellence  and  become  more 
and  better  fitted  for  her  high  calling  as  the  bride 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

"  I  will  be  glad  to  receive  a  letter  from  you 
with  suggestions  and  with  an  expression  of  your 
own  mind  on  these  important  questions.  The  grace 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  always. 

"  Yours  in  the  bonds  of  Christian  love, 

"  D.  L.  Miller." 

With  the  spirit  reflected  in  this  letter  he 
worked  and  lived  with  and  was  loved  by  the  peo- 
ple of  Mount  Morris. 


CHAPTEE  XXIV 

THE  "  DON'T  WORRY  "  CLUB 

I  AM  about  to  start  a  Don't  Worry  Club.  It  is 
open  for  membership.  Any  good  Christian 
man,  woman  or  child  may  join.  You  take  the 

following  pledge : 

"  'By  the  help  of  God,  I  promise  to  break  myself 
as  fast  as  I  possibly  can  of  the  unhappy  habit  of 
worrying.  I  shall  do  the  best  I  can  with  the  abil- 
ity God  has  given  me  and  trust  the  results  in  his 
hands.  I  will  not  worry.  God  takes  care  of  his 
own.  I  am  here  and  worrying  will  not  help  me  over- 
come a  single  ill  of  life.  It  unfits  me  for  happy, 
congenial  companionship.  I  will  not  worry.  It 
unfits  me  for  being  helpful  to  others  who  need 
comfort.  I  will  not  worry.  It  robs  me  of  many 
precious,  happy,  God-given  moments  which  he  in- 
tends that  I  should  enjoy.  I  will  not  worry.  It  not 
only  makes  me  unhappy  but  renders  others,  who 
have  a  right  to  look  to  me  for  cheerfulness,  unhap- 
py also.  I  will  not  worry.  It  shows  a  lack  of 
trustfulness  in  God,  and  deprives  me  of  the  joy  and 
happiness  that  comes  with  complete  trust  in  God. 
No,  by  God's  help,  I  will  not  worry.  Will  you  'jine'? 

"...  P.  S.  Your  father  came  in  last  even- 
ing after  I  had  written  you  and  he  joined  my  Don't 
Worry  Club.  I  start  out  with  the  prayer  that  I 
may  be  kept  from  all  worry." — Private  letter, 
March  21, 1900. 

211 


212  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

"  March  29, 1900.  ...  I  am  not  looking  for 
members  to  my  Don't  Worry  Club.  I  just  go  along 
and  don't  worry.  I  find  myself  thinking  about  it  a 
good  deal.  I  get  some  things  not  so  pleasant,  but  I 
simply  shut  down  on  the  \vorry  part  of  the  business. 
God  helping  me,  I  will  not  worry." 

"April  3, 1900.  There  is  some  danger  of  one's 
becoming  indifferent  to  his  surroundings  and  then 
pass  said  indifference  off  for  a  disposition  not  to 
worry.  I  think  it  is  quite  natural  for  one  to  cut 
loose  more  and  more  from  the  world  as  he  grows 
older.  I  feel  that  I  am  not  as  closely  associated 
with  the  affairs  of  this  life  as  I  once  was.  But  at 
the  same  time  I  am  not  indifferent  to  the  work  I 
have  to  do.  I  take  a  keen  interest  in  it  all.  I  took 
as  much  pleasure  in  writing  of  the  missionary  work 
as  I  ever  did.  I  have  as  much  interest  in  preaching 
as  ever,  and,  indeed,  I  think  I  take  more  interest 
in  it  than  I  did  a  few  years  ago.  To  take  no  anx- 
ious thought  for  the  morrow,  as  Jesus  said,  is  the 
basis  of  my  efforts  not  to  worry.  A  year  ago  last 
winter  I  allowed  myself  a  good  deal  of  anxious 
thought  about  the  Landmark.  It  really  interfered 
with  my  happiness.  Looking  back  now  I  feel  that 
it  was  all  useless.  It  didn't  help  matters  in  the 
least.  It  cheated  me  out  of  a  good  many  happy  mo- 
ments, and  made  me  unhappy  beside.  Now  I  say 
in  the  morning  when  I  get  up, '  I  will  not  be  anxious 
for  the  morrow.'  I  ask  God  to  help  me  not  to 
worry.  When  something  comes  up  that  occasions 
thought  or  worry,  I  simply  say,  '  Now  I  will  not 
worry  about  this.  It  won't  help  matters  in  the 
least.  It  will  not  help  me.'  In  this  way,  I  am 
able  to  meet  the  issues  with  a  clear  head  and  feel 
that  it  is  better  to  take  this  view  of  the  matter  rath- 


THE  "  DON'T  WORRY  "  CLUB  213 

er  than  worry  and  fret  and  stew  over  the  thing, 
and  after  all  find  that  it  amounted  to  but  little 
after  it  is  all  over." 

In  our  family,  in  those  days,  we  children  had  a 
monthly  paper  called  the  Dovecote  News.  The 
first  families  who  moved  from  Mount  Morris  to 
Elgin,  when  the  Publishing  House  was  taken 
there,  had  rather  a  lonesome  time  of  it  and  often 
gathered  together  in  the  evenings  as  those  in  a 
"  strange  land  "  will  do.  Once  a  month  the  Dove- 
cote News  was  read  at  these  gatherings.  Father 
Miller  saw  it,  and  as  always  he  was  interested  in 
our  small  affairs  and  his  name  comprised  the  sub- 
scription list  of  the  paper.  For  this  paper,  he 
wrote  a  jingle,  called,  "  Don't  Worry :  A  Story 
With  a  Moral."  This  is  not  quoted  to  show  any 
poetical  ability  he  might  have  had.  He  would  have 
been  the  last  person  even  to  admit  that  he  could 
make  words  rhyme.  It  is  given  only  for  the  real 
humor  it  contains  and  to  show  what  trouble  he 
took  for  our  pleasure. 

"DON'T  WORRY  :  A  STORY  WITH  A  MORAL 
"  '  Never  mind ! '  Uncle  Dan  used  to  say, 

Things  will  come  out  all  right ; 
What  if  the  clouds  are  dark  today? 

It  may  be  clear  by  tonight ! 
Brace  yourself  up  and  face  what  you  must, 
God's  in  the  sky  and  his  laws  are  just ! 
Bear  like  a  man  what  he  gives  you  to  bear, 

Laugh  when  your  plans  go  wrong ; 
A  smile  is  the  policeman  that  drives  off  care, 
And  there's  poultice  for  pain  in  a  song. 


LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 


"  i  Never  mind  !  '  Uncle  Dan  would  say  to  me 

When  my  savings  were  spent  away; 
'  Brace  yourself  up  and  let  folks  see 

That  your  nerve's  right  here  to  stay. 
Take  a  new  hold  and  try  it  once  more, 
As  plenty  of  others  have  had  to  before  ! 
When  things  seem  to  be  at  their  worst,  they  might 

Be  a  little  worse,  you  know  ; 
The  day  that's  darkest  may  clear  by  night, 

And  the  sun  set  all  in  a  glow.' 

"  Uncle  Dan  sat  in  the  dentist's  chair, 

With  his  jaws  propped  wide  apart; 
I  looked  at  the  poor  man  wriggling  there, 

And  was  sorry  with  all  my  heart  ! 
But  I  said,  '  Brace  up  and  face  what  you  must  ; 
God's  in  the  sky  and  his  laws  are  just- 
Stand  like  a  man  what  he  gives  you  to  stand, 

Smile  when  the  probe  sinks  low; 
Show  that  your  nerve  is  right  on  hand— 

It  might  be  worse,  you  know.' 

"  '  Brace  yourself  up  and  still  be  gay, 

Things  will  come  out  all  right  ; 
Though  life  is  a  hard  pull  by  day 

And  an  aching  void  by  night. 
Still  there  may  come—  '  but  my  Uncle  Dan 
Jumped  from  the  chair,  wherefore  I  ran, 
And  I  heard  him  muttering  things  I  dare 

Not  put  in  my  rhyme,  and  he 
Still  chuckles  and  nods  in  his  easy  chair, 

But  has  quit  preaching  to  me." 

The  times  when  Father  and  Mother  Miller 
came  to  visit  the  "  Dovecote  "  were  our  happiest 
days.  The  house  was  garnished  for  the  occasion, 


THE  "  DON'T  WORRY  "  CLUB  215 

special  cooking  prepared,  and  even  the  garden  re- 
ceived an  extra  hoeing,  leaving  the  edge  of  every 
flower  bed  as  even  and  true  as  line  and  rake  could 
make  it. 

We  children  watched  from  the  north  window 
until  we  saw  the  car  stop,  and  then  all  six  would 
run  to  meet  them,  coming  slowly  and  ever  more 
slowly  up  that  walk.  They  never  forgot  us,  either. 
We  would  stand  around  with  veiled  interest  while 
Father  opened  his  bag,  and  always  would  come  out 
some  candy,  often  peanut  brittle,  or  fruit,  or  some 
special  thing  they  thought  we  would  like.  And 
they  would  hardly  be  there  before  it  was  dinner 
time.  In  the  afternoon,  if  the  Board  was  not  go- 
ing to  meet  right  away,  Father  and  our  father 
would  settle  down  for  a  talk,  interrupted  often,  of 
course,  by  us,  as  we  could  not  stay  away ;  but  I  am 
sure  that  I  never  went  through  the  room  where  Fa- 
ther Miller  sat — no  matter  how  busy  or  absorbed 
he  was  in  conversation — that  he  did  not  reach  out 
his  hand  to  take  mine,  and  that  sweet  smile  of  his 
would  come  into  his  eyes. 

When  Brother  Howard  Miller  edited  the 
Inglenook,we  had  especially  joyous  times.  Howard 
had  traveled  in  Mexico  and  had  learned  some  of 
the  Mexican  cookery.  He  would  come  up  in  the 
morning  with  his  hands  full  of  bundles  and  crowd 
into  the  kitchen.  He  was  so  large  he  could  hardly 
get  through  the  door.  Then  he  would  say  to  our 
mother : 


216  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

"Annie,  here  are  these  things.  Now  you  cook 
these  just  this  way,"  and  he  would  proceed  to  go 
into  detail  about  the  manner  of  preparing  them. 

Usually  it  would  turn  out  to  be  some  hot  Mexi- 
can dish,  similar  to  the  Indian  food  that  Father 
had  learned  to  like.  Then  those  two  men  would  sit 
down  at  the  table  and  eat,  abandoning  themselves 
to  a  good  dinner.  Those  hot  Mexican  dishes  did 
not  suit  our  young  appetites,  but  we  did  enjoy 
watching  them  eat. 

Sometimes  squab  pie  was  the  especial  dish 
ordered.  We  children  had  pet  pigeons  and  loved 
them  very  much — so  much,  in  fact,  that  we,  one 
and  all,  refused  to  eat  the  squabs.  Occasionally  in 
a  mercenary  fit  we  would  sell  some,  but  none  of  us 
ever  tasted  one.  However,  when  Father  Millers 
came  our  squabs  were  gladly  sacrificed  to  the  oc- 
casion, and  we  sat  about  without  a  regret,  watch- 
ing them  disappear. 

And  the  Christmases  when  Father  and  Mother 
Miller  were  with  us !  They  can  never  be  forgotten 
for  they  were  so  few.  Doubtless  because  Father 
and  Mother  Miller  had  no  children,  they  made  the 
children  of  their  friends  their  own,  for  our  house 
was  not  the  only  one  where  the  children  welcomed 
them.  One  Christmas  when  they  came  Father 
found  me  very  much  absorbed  in  "  Little  Women," 
and  with  a  child's  desire  to  have  all  there  is  to  be 
had,  I  longed  for  the  rest  of  the  books,  but  I  did 
not  dream  that  he  realized  this.  He  made  a  trip 


THE  "  DON'T  WORRY  "  CLUB  217 

to  Chicago  the  day  before  Christmas,  and  that 
evening,  after  we  had  lighted  the  tree  and  received 
our  presents,  he  brought  out  a  box  and  gave  it  to 
me.  There  was  a  complete  set  of  Louisa  Alcott's 
works.  Unless  one  has  had  all  of  her  dreams  come 
true  at  once,  she  cannot  know  how  happy  I  was. 
Those  books  have  been  read  and  reread  until  they 
are  nearly  worn  out,  but  they  still  hold  and  always 
will  hold,  a  place  of  honor  on  our  bookshelves. 
And  Father,  I  verily  believe,  was  as  happy  as  I  over 
them. 

I  cannot  remember  that  Father  Miller  ever 
laughed  very  much.  He  smiled  often,  but  his  laugh 
was  infrequent.  However,  there  was  one  time 
when  he  shook  with  mirth.  My  younger  brother, 
D.  L.,  was  very  much  of  a  boy  and  was  rarely 
quiet.  Doubtless  when  some  of  the  members  of  the 
Board  were  in  the  sitting  room,  engaged  in  some 
discussion,  his  squirmings  bothered  them.  At  any 
rate,  Father  conceived  the  idea  of  having  D.  L.  sit 
on  a  chair  for  five  minutes  without  smiling  or  mov- 
ing, the  boy,  of  course,  to  receive  pay ;  I  forget  how 
much.  Brother  Barnhart  and  one  or  two  others 
were  there,  I  think.  Nothing  daunted  D.  L.  and  he 
proceeded  to  sit.  We  ail  stood  around  and 
watched  him  sit  there  for  five  long  minutes  without 
a  move.  And  Father  Miller  laughed  then  until  he 
shook  all  over,  but  D.  L.  sat  it  out  without  a  mo- 
tion and  received  his  pay. 


218  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

In  the  evenings,  when  the  younger  children 
would  be  in  bed,  Father  Miller  and  our  father  and 
some  other  members  of  the  Board — Brother  Barn- 
hart  very  often,  Brother  Teeter,  Brother  Bonsack, 
Brother  Early  and  many  others  who  often  were 
there — would  gather  about  the  table  and  discuss 
informally  the  problems  of  the  church.  Many 
times  Father  Miller  would  be  listening  quietly  to 
the  others  as  they  argued.  Finally,  when  the  time 
seemed  opportune,  he  would  say  in  his  calm  way : 

"  Now  Brethren,  it  seems  this  way  to  me,"  and 
proceed  with  his  explanation — an  explanation  that 
usually  solved  the  trouble. 

Those  days  are  past,  are  only  memories  now, 
but  we  are  better  for  them. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

ANNUAL  CONFERENCE  WORK 

PERHAPS  one  of  the  most  important  influ- 
ences Father  Miller  exerted  on  the  church 
was  through  his  constant  attendance  and 
work  at  the  Annual  Conferences.    From  1880  until 
his  death  he  missed  but  two  or  three  meetings.    In 
his  later  days,  when  he  was  not  one  of  the  presiding 
officers,  his  place  was  on  the  platform,  well  to  the 
front,  where  he  could  watch  the  proceedings  with 
unabated  interest. 

The  Conference  was  one  special  treat  of  the 
year  to  him.  He  looked  forward  to  it  every  spring, 
and  into  his  editorials  put  much  of  his  enthusiasm 
for  it,  so  that  gradually  this  enthusiasm  was  im- 
parted to  many  who  had  not  been  so  interested. 
Here,  through  his  service  on  many  important  com- 
mittees, was  his  influence  felt  in  almost  every  ac- 
tivity of  the  church. 

The  following  is  from  an  editorial  printed 
April  14, 1900: 

"  Our  Annual  Meeting  is  more  than  a  Confer- 
ence, more  than  a  church  council,  it  is  a  reunion  of 
those  of  like  precious  faith.  Take  away  from  the 
meeting  the  social  enjoyment  and  the  spiritual 

219 


220  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

blessings,  and  it  would  indeed  be  a  delegated  body 
met  for  the  purpose  of  transacting  business.  The 
social  feature  of  the  meeting  does  more  to  unify  our 
people,  and  bind  them  together  in  the  bonds  of  love 
and  peace,  in  the  unity  of  the  Spirit,  than  does  the 
business  part  of  the  Conference.  As  it  is,  the  meet- 
ing marks  an  epoch  in  the  lives  of  many  of  our 
brethren  and  sisters.  Those  who  do  not  attend 
lose  a  means  of  grace  and  spiritual  blessings  that 
are  helpful  to  all  who  receive  them. 

"  For  some  years  past  a  good  deal  of  time  has 
been  taken  up  with  church  work  of  great  impor- 
tance. The  missionary  and  Sunday-school  work  has 
been  given  the  attention  which  their  importance 
demands. 

"  Neither  has  the  business  of  the  Conference 
been  neglected.  There  has  been  a  growing  disposi- 
tion not  to  act  hastily  on  any  important  question 
that  may  come  before  the  council.  Because  of  this, 
many  questions  are  placed  in  the  hands  of  compe- 
tent committees  and  deferred  a  year  to  give  ample 
time  to  study  the  questions  and  report  upon  them. 
This  is  commendable.  Not  how  many  queries  are 
passed,  but  how  many  decisions  be  fully  in  accord 
with  the  Word  of  God  is  the  measure  of  the  success 
of  the  Conference." 

LIST  OF  POSITIONS  HELD  BY  D.  L.  MILLER  AT  ANNUAL 
CONFERENCE  FROM  1882 — 1910 

1882 — Member  of  Committee  on  Consolidation  of 
Church  Papers. 

1884 — Member  Church  Extension  Board  or  Gen- 
eral Church  Erection  and  Missionary  Com- 
mittee, for  three  years. 


ANNUAL  CONFERENCE  WORK  221 

Member  Auditing  Committee  for  Treasur- 
er's Keport  of  the  Missionary  Board. 

1887 — Keappointed  as  a  member  of  the  General 
Church  Erection  and  Missionary  Commit- 
tee for  three  years. 

1888 — Committee  to  Apportion  General  Expenses. 
General  Agent  for  the  Kailroad  Arrange- 
ments Committee. 

Committee  to  Prepare  Eules  Governing  the 
Annual  Meeting. 

1890 — Keappointed  on  General  Church  Erection 
and  Missionary  Committee  for  three  years. 
Committee  on  Consolidation  of  Missionary 
and  Tract  Work. 

Committee  to  visit  McPherson,  Kans. 
Secretary  Committee  on  Church  Property. 

1891— Elected  Writing  Clerk. 

Committee  to  Nettle  Creek  Church,  Indiana. 
Member  of  Standing  Committee. 

1892— Elected  Writing  Clerk. 

Committee  for  the  Compilation  of  Hymn 

Book. 

To  assist  New  Testament  Notes  Committee. 

Standing  Committee. 

1893 — Committee  to  visit  churches  in  Southern 

Illinois. 

Eeappointed  on  Missionary  and  Tract  Com- 
mittee for  three  years. 

Tract  Examining  Committee. 

Committee  on  Consolidation  of  Missionary 

and  Tract  Work. 
1894 — Committee  to  visit  Mississinewa  Church, 

Indiana. 


222  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

1895— Elected  Writing  Clerk. 
Standing  Committee. 

1896— Elected  Writing  Clerk. 

Committee  to  Draft  a  Memorial  to  King  of 
Sweden. 

Keappointed  on  Missionary  and  Tract  Com- 
mittee for  three  years. 
Committee    to    McPherson    and    Newton 
Churches,  Kansas. 
Committee  on  Kebaptism. 

1897 — Committee  to  Cerro  Gordo  Church,  Illinois. 
Dress  Committee. 

Eevision  of  Annual  Meeting  Minutes  Com- 
mittee. 

1898— Elected  Writing  Clerk. 

Appointed  with  wife  to  visit  churches  in  Eu- 
rope. 
Standing  Committee. 

1 899 — Eeappointed  on  Missionary  and  Tract  Com- 
mittee for  three  years. 
Church  Historical  Association  Committee. 

1900— Elected  Moderator. 

Committee  on  Hymn  Book  Revision. 
Committee  on  Endowment  Fund. 
Standing  Committee. 

1901 — Committee  on  Resolutions. 

Committee  to  Consider   Time   for    Annual 

Meeting. 

Life  Insurance  Committee. 

Hospital  Committee. 
1902— Elected  Moderator. 

Reappointed  on  General   Missionary  and 

Tract  Committee  for  three  years. 


ANNUAL  CONFERENCE  WORK  223 

1903 — Committee  on  Swedish  Unions. 

1905 — Keappointed  on  Missionary  and  Tract  Com- 
mittee for  three  years. 
Foreman  Annual  Meeting  Kailroad  Com- 
mittee. 

1906 — Church  Name  Committee. 

Foreman  Annual  Meeting  Kailroad    Com- 
mittee. 

1907 — Committee  on  Bicentennial. 

Foreman  Annual  Meeting  Kailroad  Com- 
mittee. 

1908 — Keappointed  on  Missionary  and  Tract  Com- 
mittee for  three  years. 
Foreman  Annual  Meeting  Kailroad  Com- 
mittee. 

1909 — Dress  Committee. 

Foreman  Annual  Meeting  Railroad  Commit- 
tee. 

1910 — Resigned  from  service  on  the  General  Mis- 
sionary and  Tract  Committee  and  was 
elected  Advisory  Member  for  Life. 


SILVER  CASK   FOR  ROLL  OF  THE  LAW 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

MORE  TRAVELS 

THE  first  winter  spent  in  the  new  home  was 
one  of  illness  for  Father  Miller.    All  en- 
gagements for  Bible  Land  Talks  were  can- 
celed, and  he  passed  the  time  quietly  in  his  study. 
During  this  time  he  began  the  preparation  of  a  new 
book,  written  especially  for  the  Gish  Fund.    When 
finished  this  was  called  "  Eternal  Verities,"  and 
dealt  with  the  evidences  of  Christianity. 

In  spite  of  illness,  his  winter  was  not  spent 
idly,  for  he  used  some  twenty-eight  books  and  en- 
cyclopaedias for  reference  and  study  in  writing 
this  new  volume.  In  "  Eternal  Verities  "  he  en- 
deavored to  give  briefly  and  simply  the  more  im- 
portant arguments  which  have  "  led  godly  men, 
who  have  carefully  gone  over  the  ground,  to  accept 
the  Bible  as  the  Word  of  God."  He  claimed  no 
originality  for  the  work,  but  felt  that  to  "  meet  the 
growing  skepticism  we  must  place  in  the  hands  of 
our  people,  old  and  young  alike,  the  testimony  in 
our  possession  of  the  truth  of  God's  Book."  The 
volume  is  very  simply  and  convincingly  written 
and  covers  the  ground  intended  by  the  author.  Of 
unusual  interest  are  the  last  chapters,  which  con- 

225 


226  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

tain  Father  Miller's  own  observations  in  Pales- 
tine, of  the  customs  now  prevailing,  which  prove 
the  truth  of  the  Bible  and  of  the  events  which  have 
occurred  since  the  Bible  was  written  that  have 
fulfilled  its  prophecies.  This  adds  greatly  to  the 
value  and  importance  of  the  book.  This  is  the  only 
one  Father  Miller  wrote  which  was  not  distinctly 
a  record  of  travel.  In  the  fall  of  1903,  after  the 
first  sale  was  over,  "  Eternal  Verities  "  was  used 
as  a  premium  with  the  Gospel  Messenger,  the  au- 
thor receiving  no  profit  whatever  from  this  further 
sale. 

At  the  Conference  in  1901  Father  Miller  was 
appointed  to  visit  once  more  the  churches  in  Eu- 
rope. Owing  to  the  fact  that  he  had  not  been  well 
all  winter,  this  commission  did  not  appeal  to  him, 
but  Brother  and  Sister  Albert  Vaniman  were  be- 
ing sent  to  Sweden  and  it  was  their  wish,  as  well 
as  that  of  the  Missionary  Committee,  that  he  ac- 
company them  to  help  select  their  home  and  get 
them  settled  in  their  new  duties.  With  some  re- 
luctance he  consented,  and  on  June  27  they  sailed 
for  Sweden.  Although  this  trip  was  made  solely 
in  the  interests  of  the  Missionary  Committee,  he 
paid  all  of  his  expenses,  as  he  had  for  all  of  his 
other  journeys.  He  staid  some  weeks  with  Broth- 
er Vaniman's  in  Sweden  and  Denmark,  and  then 
visited  Switzerland  and  France,  where  Brother 
Fercken  had  been  at  work  for  some  time.  His  re- 
ports of  conditions  in  the  various  missions  were 


MORE  TRAVELS  227 

encouraging  in  every  respect.  While  in  France, 
with  Brother  Fercken  he  went  to  visit  the  famous 
shrine  "  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes."  He  wrote  a  de- 
tailed history  of  this  for  the  Messenger,  and  in  con- 
clusion, in  his  usual  illuminating  way,  gave  his  own 
opinion  of  the  truthfulness  of  this  legend.  Aug.  23 
he  sailed  from  Europe  on  the  Vaterland,  making 
the  return  voyage  in  a  trifle  over  five  days,  the 
quickest  time,  until  that  date,  made  by  any  ves- 
sel in  crossing  the  Atlantic. 

The  winter  of  1901  and  1902  was  spent  entire- 
ly in  delivering  Bible  Land  Talks,  as  was  most  of 
the  following  summer.  That  fall  he  again  had  a 
serious  attack  of  the  digestive  trouble  that  had 
been  afflicting  him  for  some  years.  He  and  Mother 
Miller  decided  to  spend  that  winter  in  California 
rather  than  try  to  brave  the  rigors  of  the  Illinois 
cold.  Their  trip  to  California  that  fall  was  made 
on  a  colonist  train  and  was  of  much  interest.  Fa- 
ther Miller  wrote  of  it  in  the  Messenger  as  follows : 

"  Those  of  us  who  have  passed  the  half -cen- 
tury mark  remember  how  in  our  boyhood  days  we 
looked  upon  the  returned  Californian  with  open- 
eyed  wonder,  and  listened  with  bated  breath  to 
tales  of  danger  from  wild  Indians  and  wild  beasts 
met  in  crossing  mountains  and  plains  by  the  hardy 
pioneer.  In  those  days  a  journey  to  California 
was  the  event  of  a  lifetime.  Now  it  is  of  such  com- 
mon occurrence,  such  an  everyday  affair,  that  one 
scarcely  cares  to  read  what  is  written  by  the  mod- 
ern tourist. 


228  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

"  But  there  is  something  new  and  novel  even 
in  these  days  of  rapid  transit,  in  crossing  the  Kock- 
ies  and  Sierra  Nevadas  on  a  colonist  train,  made 
up  almost  entirely  of  our  own  people  who  are  seek- 
ing homes  in  the  great  San  Joaquin  Valley  of 
California.  .  .  . 

"  Brother  George  McDonaugh,  our  genial  and 
efficient  colonization  agent,  informed  us  that  this 
was  the  first  train  of  the  kind  that  ever  crossed  the 
continent.  Eighty  souls  .  .  .  made  up  the  com- 
pany. It  was  a  mixed  train,  made  up  of  tourist 
sleeping-car,  day  coach,  baggage  car,  and  freight 
cars,  carrying  the  household  goods  and  live  stock 
and  other  belongings  of  the  colonists." 

While  in  California  Father  and  Mother  Miller 
did  not  rest,  but  traveled  about  from  church  to 
church,  giving  Bible  Land  Talks  and  preaching,  for 
life  in  the  milder  climate  was  better  for  both  of 
them. 

The  following  spring  they  returned  to  their 
home  in  Mount  Morris.  That  summer  was  spent 
in  delivering  Bible  Land  Talks,  and  the  winter 
again  found  them  in  California.  With  the  spring 
of  1904  came  a  determination  again  to  visit  India 
— "  dear  old  India  "  —which  they  both  loved  so 
well.  They  intended  to  stay  at  least  two  years, 
and  there  was  some  thought  of  making  it  their 
permanent  home.  Age  was  coming  on  and  they 
felt  the  need  of  less  active  work.  India  provided  a 
climate  which  both  enjoyed,  and  their  interests 
were  bound  up  in  the  welfare  of  the  mission. 


MORE  TRAVELS  229 

Sept.  1,  1904,  they  sailed  on  the  Deutschland 
from  New  York  with  Father's  brother,  W.  R.  Mil- 
ler, Brethren  I.  B.  Trout,  M.  K.  Murray  and  Broth- 
er and  Sister  Berkebile  for  companions.  Once  more 
they  made  the  tour  of  the  churches  in  Sweden,  Den- 
mark and  France,  before  crossing  the  Mediterra- 
nean to  Joppa  and  Jerusalem.  After  revisiting  the 
Holy  City  they  sailed  to  Port  Said,  to  await  the 
outgoing  missionaries  for  India.  While  there  they 
saw  the  "  Eussian  fleet  ...  on  its  way  to  meet 
its  fate  at  the  hands  of  the  Japanese  under  Ad- 
miral Togo.  Thousands  of  men  who  thronged  the 
decks  of  warship  and  transport  on  that  November 
day  found  watery  graves,  a  few  months  later,  in 
the  Sea  of  Japan,  when  Russ  and  Jap  met  in  deadly 
conflict.  This,  not  because  these  men  had  a  quar- 
rel with  each  other,  or  aught  of  resentment,  but 
because  the  heads  of  one  of  the  so-called  Christian 
nations  was  ambitious  and  grasping.  After  sev- 
eral days'  waiting  the  missionaries  arrived  and  the 
enlarged  party  was  composed  of  Brother  W.  R. 
Miller,  Sister  McCann,  with  Henry  and  Mary,  her 
children,  Brother  and  Sister  Berkebile,  Brother 
and  Sister  Ross,  Brother  and  Sister  Pittenger,  and 
Sister  Gertrude  Rowland,  now  the  wife  of  Brother 
Jesse  Emmert,  and  Maijee  and  the  writer." 

After  a  pleasant  and  uneventful  voyage  they 
landed  in  India  Dec.  6,  1904.  Many  changes  had 
taken  place  since  their  first  visit  nine  years  be- 
fore. Father  Miller  reviewed  them  briefly : 


230  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

"  Our  minds  went  back  to  the  time  when  we 
first  visited  Bulsar,  just  nine  years  ago.  Then 
Brother  and  Sister  Stover  and  Sister  Bertha  Ryan 
were  our  only  missionaries  in  India.  There  were 
no  native  members.  I  recall  now  most  vividly  how 
it  seemed  that  many  years  must  pass  before  even  a 
start  could  be  made.  And  now  a  very  few  years 
have  passed  and  we  are  at  Bulsar  again.  Two 
hundred  and  fifty-nine  have  been  baptized  here, 
and  here  are  fifty-eight  applicants  for  baptism. 
Instead  of  three,  we  now  have  twenty-six  mission- 
aries in  India,  and  what  has  been  done  at  Bulsar 
has  been  more  than  doubled  at  Anklesvar  in  the 
number  baptized,  besides  numbers  at  Jalalpor. 
How  wonderfully  God  is  blessing  the  labors  of 
those  who  have  been  made  willing  to  work  for  him 
in  India ! " 

Much  of  their  time  was  spent  in  Bulsar,  where 
they  attended  nearly  all  of  the  services  held  both 
in  the  English  and  native  tongues.  They  visited 
the  neighboring  country,  where  work  was  being 
done  in  the  villages,  and  studied  the  possibilities 
of  opening  up  more  stations.  And,  in  the  mean- 
time, they  cultivated  friends,  both  among  the  na- 
tives and  the  other  English-speaking  people  of  Bul- 
sar. But  not  all  of  their  time  was  devoted  to  Bul- 
sar. They  staid  several  weeks  with  the  McCanns 
at  Anklesvar  and  from  there  they  went  to  see 
Brother  and  Sister  Lichty  at  Vali.  The  last  part 
of  the  journey  to  Vali  was  made  in  a  bullock  cart, 
a  two-wheeled  cart  without  springs  and  very  heavy, 
which  is  drawn  by  two  bullocks.  As  a  rule  the 


MORE  TRAVELS  231 

bullocks  are  very  deliberate,  and  so  the  springless 
vehicle  is  endurable.  But  on  this  day,  for  some 
reason,  the  bullocks  became  frightened  and  ran 
away.  They  expected  any  minute  to  be  thrown 
out  or  upset,  but  nothing  worse  than  a  very  bad 
shaking  up  resulted.  Father  Miller  wrote  an 
amusing  account  of  it  in  the  Messenger  for  April 
1,  1905,  but  the  following  story  was  never  pub- 
lished : 

"  Last  week  we  went  to  Vali,  a  village  about 
a  hundred  miles  north  of  here,  for  a  visit  with 
Brother  Lichty's.  They  live  several  miles  from  the 
station  and  we  had  to  ride  out  in  an  oxcart,  and  we 
had  an  experience.  The  bullocks  ran  away  with 
us  and  shook  us  up  until  we  hardly  knew  ourselves. 
I  have  written  an  account  of  our  visit  for  the  Mes- 
senger and  you  can  read  all  about  it. 

But  here  is  something  about  it  not  to  be 
printed : 

THE  KUNAWAY  BULLOCKS 
By  the  Fat  Man 

Little  pair  of  bullocks, 

Kunning  fit  to  kill, 
Heavy  cart  a  pulling, 

Driven  by  a  Bhil. 

Little  pair  of  bullocks, 

Neither  great  nor  small. 
Mix  the  Fat  Man  badly, 

Dislocate  his  gall. 

Rob  the  merry  Fat  Man 
Of  his  store  of  fun, 


232  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

As  he  looks  and  wonders, 
Sees  the  bullocks  run. 

Little  pair  of  bullocks 
Kunning  down  a  hill, 

Shaking  dear  old  Maijee 
Till  she  has  her  fill. 

Makes  the  dearest,  bestest 
Maijee  cease  to  care 

Who  may  chance  to  see  her, 
Who  may  turn  to  stare. 

Makes  our  Brother  William 
Look  and  stare  and  frown, 

Won'dring  where  we'll  land,  when 
We  turn  upside  down. 

Makes  him  feel  as  if  he 

Wouldn't  shoot  another  deer; 

Little  pair  of  bullocks 
Fill  him  full  of  fear. 

Little  pair  of  bullocks 
Standing  still  as  mice, 

At  the  Lichty  mud  hut 
Looking  very  nice. 

Then  the  laughing  Fat  Man 
Jumps  with  laughing  mirth, 

And  he  leaves  his  trade  mark 
Where  he  hits  the  earth. 

Little  pair  of  bedsteads 

'Neath  the  palm-tree  roof, 

Good  for  two  to  sleep  in- 
Snoring  is  the  proof. 

And  the  Merry  Fat  Man 
Sleeps  in  restful  ease, 


•rsMjj      f-    m\.  \ft- 

••>'     ...    .*KK^.'--.n«|..   H  »<y-'; 


• 


A   RID?:  IN  THE  BULLOCK  CART 


MORE  TRAVELS  233 

Till  the  morning  brightness 
Bids  his  slumbers  cease. 

So  in  life's  long  journey 

Come  the  ill  and  best, 
After  weary  jolting 

Comes  the  peaceful  rest. 

After  a  pleasant  winter  in  India,  Father  Mil- 
ler and  Brother  Stover  started  on  a  voyage,  touch- 
ing the  various  ports  along  the  African  coast. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

THE  OTHER  HALF  OF  THE  GLOBE 

LEAVING  Bombay  April  19,  1905,  Father 
Miller  and  Wilbur  Stover  sailed  on  the 
Nuddea,  a  cargo  boat  of  the  British  India 
line. 

"  The  steamer  lacked  most  of  the  comforts  of 
a  modern  passenger  ship,  and  had  in  full  measure 
the  unpleasant  things  usually  found  on  vessels 
plying  in  the  torrid  zone.  Rats,  roaches  and  ants 
were  in  evidence  everywhere.  The  rats  visited  our 
cabin  at  night  and  once, '  when  sleep  had  departed 
from  my  eyes  and  slumber  from  my  eyelids,'  I 
watched  with  interest  three  big  fellows  on  a  tour 
of  investigation  about  our  bunks.  The  roaches — 
none  of  your  diminutive  vermin  seen  in  northern 
climes,  but  great,  sleek,  fat  fellows,  as  big  as  a 
baby's  hand — were  industriously  active  during  the 
entire  voyage.  When  you  couldn't  see  them  you 
could  smell  them,  and  neither  sight  nor  smell  was 
pleasant  to  the  eyes  or  nose.  But  the  Nuddea 
suited  our  purpose,  and  one  can  endure  many  dis- 
comforts to  secure  the  desired  end.  She  called  at 
a  large  number  of  ports  and  remained  long  enough, 
in  receiving  and  discharging  cargo,  to  enable  us  to 
see  all  there  was  to  see  in  the  ports  of  call,  and  to 
make  such  investigations  as  were  desirable." 

There  were  only  four  cabin  passengers  on  the 
235 


236  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

ship,  but  there  were  many  deck  passengers — Hin- 
dus, Moslems,  men  and  women  and  children,  cat- 
tle, hogs  and  goats,  all  living  together  on  the  deck. 
Considering  the  rats,  roaches  and  ants,  and  the 
great  variety  of  deck  passengers,  the  journey  could 
not  have  been  called  a  pleasure  trip.  Smallpox 
broke  out  among  the  deck  passengers  during  the 
first  of  the  trip,  and  they  were  not  permitted  to  go 
ashore  at  their  first  stop  at  Victoria,  Seychelles. 
However,  by  the  end  of  nineteen  days,  when  they 
reached  Mombasa,  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  the 
smallpox  patients  were  better,  and  the  cabin  pas- 
sengers were  permitted  to  land.  At  the  next  stop, 
Zanzibar,  most  of  the  deck  passengers  departed,  the 
boat  was  thoroughly  fumigated  and  the  rest  of  the 
journey  was  much  more  pleasant. 

They  continued  down  the  coast  as  far  as  Dur- 
ban, where  they  disembarked  and  spent  some  time, 
making  a  trip  on  the  railway  up  to  Victoria  Falls. 
Father  Miller  wrote  that  that  railway  was  the 
roughest  means  of  travel  he  had  ever  endured,  not 
excluding  the  English  sea  storm  in  1891,  or  the 
runaway  bullock  ride  of  the  winter  before.  On  the 
return  voyage  they  landed  at  Parapat,  where  only 
two  white  men  lived,  and  at  Dar-es-Salaam,  where 
they  spent  some  time  visiting  among  the  native 
villages.  After  that  they  returned  directly  to  Bom- 
bay. 

While  on  this  trip  Father  Miller  made  a 
thorough  study  of  Africa  from  the  viewpoint  of  es- 


THE  OTHER  HALF  OF  THE  GLOBE  237 

tablisMng  a  mission.  The  conclusions  lie  then 
reached  were  summed  up  as  follows  in  the  Messen- 
ger for  Sept.  9,  1905: 

"...  It  is  the  fixed  conviction  of  the  writer 
that,  should  the  church  decide  to  undertake  a  mis- 
sion in  South  Africa,  it  would  be  wise  to  associate 
with  it  colored  missionaries  from  home,  and  also 
accompany  it  with  industrial  training.  .  .  . 

"  Taking  India  as  a  basis  of  comparison,  it 
will  cost  fully  twice  as  much  to  support  mission- 
aries in  South  Africa  as  it  does  in  the  former  coun- 
try. It  would  be  unsafe  to  attempt  to  start  a  mis- 
sion in  British  South  Africa  without  counting  the 
cost  of  support  for  man  and  wife  at  one  thousand 
dollars  per  year,  with  a  hundred  dollars  extra  for 
each  child  in  the  family.  .  .  . 

"As  a  matter  of  sentiment,  it  would  be  well 
to  say  that  we  have  missions  in  India,  Africa, 
China,  Japan,  Australia,  the  Philippines,  Hawaii, 
South  America,  Cuba,  Porto  Eico  and  the  islands  of 
the  sea.  By  dividing  our  forces  we  might  have  a 
little  station  in  half  a  score  of  these  countries,  but 
it  would  be  but  a  station  in  name.  Is  it  not  much 
better  to  have  one  strong,  well-organized  mission, 
for  doing  aggressive  work,  pushing  out  from  a  com- 
mon center,  with  power  for  the  conversion  of  the 
heathen,  than  a  score  of  weaklings,  unable  to  stand 
alone  or  to  impress  the  heathen  mind  with  the 
idea  of  strength  and  stability?  .  .  . 

"  These  conclusions  are  not  to  be  regarded  as 
was  the  report  of  the  men  who  said  there  were 
giants  in  the  land.  Far  from  it.  If  the  church  will 
awake  and  rouse  herself,  and  feel,  through  the 
Holy  Ghost,  her  real  strength,  we  may  go  in  and 


238  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

possess  the  land.  Mission  work  is  not  child's  play. 
The  heathen  have  to  be  won  by  hard  work.  They 
are  not  standing  with  outstretched  arms,  waiting 
for  the  coming  of  the  missionary.  .  .  .  Mission- 
ary work  means  hard,  persistent  and  continuous 
labor,  with  self-sacrifice,  fasting  and  prayer,  both 
at  home  and  in  the  field.  We  must  be  patient,  en- 
during the  hardships,  the  giving  of  our  means, 
ready  to  meet  discouragements  and  disappoint- 
ments, and  then,  with  unfaltering  trust  in  God,  we 
shall  reap  if  we  faint  not." 

They  were  again  in  Bombay  by  July,  1905, 
and  by  Sept.  9  of  that  same  year  Father  Miller, 
Maijee  and  Sister  Eliza  Miller  started  for  the  long 
voyage  to  Australia — a  voyage  of  nearly  fifteen 
thousand  miles,  going  and  coming.  They  sailed 
along  the  west  coast  of  Australia,  stopping  at  sev- 
eral points  and  finally  arriving  at  Adelaide,  Mel- 
bourne, and  Sidney,  where  they  devoted  some  time 
to  sightseeing.  Father  Miller  was  particularly  in- 
terested in  the  aboriginals  of  Australia  and  put  in 
a  good  deal  of  time  studying  their  history  and  cus- 
toms. 

At  La  Perouse,  on  Botany  Bay,  there  was  a 
camp  of  these  aboriginals  under  the  care  of  mis- 
sionaries. They  visited  this  camp  twice  and  found 
them  bright  and  intelligent — many  of  them  able 
to  read  and  write  English.  Here,  too,  they  had  an 
exhibition  of  the  skill  of  a  boomerang  thrower. 
Harry  Simmons,  an  expert  thrower,  threw  time 
and  again,  bringing  the  crooked  stick  back  to  his 


THE  OTHER  HALF  OF  THE  GLOBE  239 

feet  each  time.  Then  Father  Miller  tried  his  skill 
at  throwing,  but  was  unable  to  accomplish  the  de- 
sired result.  But  Harry  comforted  him  by  saying : 
"  By  and  by,  you  make  a  good  boomerang  thrower." 
From  Sydney  Father  Miller  wrote  briefly,  giv- 
ing a  glimpse  of  his  visit  there : 

"  Oct.  20,  1905. — We  are  having  a  nice  time 
here.  I  am  reading  and  writing.  I  have  access  to 
a  library  of  120,000  volumes,  and  that's  a  lot  bigger 
than  my  little  library  at  Mount  Morris.  So  I  read 
books  and  write  letters.  The  time  does  not  hang 
heavily  on  my  hands. 

"  The  other  day  I  visited  the  native  camp  and 
saw  the  aborigines — the  first  of  the  inhabitants 
of  this  country.  They  are  said  by  some  to  be  the 
lowest  type  of  the  genus  homo,  but  they  are,  I  think, 
about  as  bright  as  other  people.  They  throw  the 
boomerang  in  a  most  surprising  fashion. 

"  It's  spring  time  here  and  the  flowers  and 
fruits  are  in  evidence.  We  get  fine  oranges  and  a 
new  fruit  that  grows  to  perfection  on  the  passion 
flower.  It's  as  large  as  a  hen's  egg,  shaped  like  an 
apple,  and  has  a  thick  rind.  You  cut  it  in  halves 
and  then  you  have  little  bowls,  two  in  number, 
formed  by  the  halves  of  the  fruit,  full  of  a  juicy 
pulp  mass,  very  excellent  in  flavor  and  good  to 
taste.  I  never  ate  of  the  fruit  until  we  came  here, 
and  I  find  it  very  good.  Early  varieties  of  straw- 
berries are  in  the  market  and  they  look  fine." 

While  in  Australia  they  saw  a  most  peculiar 
animal,  called  the  duck-billed  platypus,  "which 
puzzled  the  naturalists  for  many  years.  When  they 


240  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

came  to  classify  the  strange  thing  it  was  hard 
to  determine  whether  it  was  a  bird  or  an  animal. 
It  has  the  fur  of  the  seal  and  the  bill  and  webbed 
feet  of  the  duck.  It  dives  and  swims  like  a  fish, 
lays  eggs  and,  when  they  are  hatched,  nurses  the 
young  with  the  milk  of  its  breasts."  They  likewise 
saw  specimens  of  the  kangaroo,  the  wild  dog  and 
the  Australian  bear. 

After  a  pleasant  trip  they  started  back  to 
Bombay  Nov.  9.  While  making  the  homeward  voy- 
age bubonic  plague  broke  out  on  board.  This  did 
not  become  known  to  the  passengers  until  they 
reached  Fremantle.  The  news  was  cabled  ahead 
of  them,  and  on  arriving  at  Colombo  no  one  was 
allowed  to  land.  They  began  to  be  concerned  as 
to  whether  they  would  be  permitted  to  go  ashore 
at  Bombay.  The  ship  was  quarantined  at  once  in 
the  harbor,  and  it  seemed  that  there  was  more 
prospect  of  their  being  taken  to  the  next  port, 
at  Aden,  than  being  allowed  to  disembark  at  Bom- 
bay. A  number  of  the  missionaries  came  out  to 
their  ship  in  a  boat  and  greeted  them  at  a  distance. 
The  passengers  remained  all  night  on  board,  await- 
ing their  fate,  and  it  was  with  joyous  hearts  that 
the  news  was  brought  the  following  day  that  they 
could  go  ashore.  In  a  short  time  they  were  once 
more  in  their  India  home,  where  they  had  but  one 
month  to  stay  before  their  return  journey  to  Amer- 
ica. 

This  was  their  last  visit  to  India — a  place 


THE  OTHER  HALF  OF  THE  GLOBE  241 

loved  by  them  both.    In  1913 — seven  years  later — 
Father  Miller  wrote : 

"  I  find  myself  constantly  wishing  that  I  could 
be  with  you  all  on  this  tour  of  the  India  missions.  I 
sometimes  am  wondering  how  old  I  must  get  before 
I  shall  lose  the  desire  to  visit  again  India  and  the 
Orient.  I  think  the  desire  is  just  as  keen  now  as  it 
was  when  I  made  my  first  trip  to  the  East.  .  .  . 

"  When  you  are  at  Bulsar  you  will  no  doubt 
see  the  house  in  which  mother  and  I  spent  a  very 
happy  year  in  India.  I  think  I  shall  never  for- 
get the  pleasant  home  we  had  there.  If  the  choice 
were  mine,  I  would  rather  live  at  Bulsar,  so  far  as 
climatic  conditions  are  concerned,  than  in  Los 
Angeles,  California." 

But  the  time  came  to  leave,  and  a  farewell 
dinner  was  given  for  them.  Father  Miller  wrote 
of  it  in  a  private  letter : 

"  Bulsar,  January  19, 1906. 
"  My  dear  Bessie : 

"...  We  are  ready  now  to  go  to  Bombay 
and  sail  away  for  China.  And  if  all  goes  well  with 
us  we  ought  to  see  you  all  about  May  1.  What  a 
time  we  will  have,  when  we  all  meet  again.  There'll 
be  some  huggin'  going  on,  I  am  thinking. 

"  The  people  here  seem  sorry  to  have  us  leave, 
and  we  are  also  sorry  to  leave  them.  Last  night 
we  had  a  dinner  at  the  native  Christian  village, 
'  Maijee-pur,'  named  after  Grandma.  You  know 
they  call  her  Maijee  here,  and  so  the  town  is  Maijee- 
pur,  the  word  '  pur  '  meaning  town.  I  am  getting 
to  be  quite  a  Gujerati  linguist.  I  now  repeat  the 


242  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

Lord's  Prayer  in  the  vernacular  with  the  natives 
every  morning. 

"  But  I  want  to  tell  you  about  the  dinner.  Two 
hundred  and  sixty  people  ate  with  us — all  the 
native  members  of  the  church.  Recently  Jimmie 
Sahib  and  his  daughter,  Elizabeth,  were  baptized 
and  he  gave  the  dinner.  He  is  the  leading  man 
here  among  the  Eurasians,  and  a  very  nice  family 
of  people  they  are.  Five  of  them  are  now  in  the 
church. 

"  The  dinner  was  a  success.  We  all  sat  on  the 
ground  and  ate  with  our  fingers.  We  had  palow— 
rice  and  small  bits  of  meat,  with  nuts  and  raisins 
cooked  together.  It  is  a  dish  of  which  I  am  very 
fond  and  I  ate  heartily  of  it.  We  also  had  kitch- 
erdy.  This  is  also  a  dish  made  of  rice,  and  very 
good.  Then  we  had  two  kinds  of  native  sweet- 
meats and  this  made  up  the  feast.  If  you  had  seen 
us  eat  with  our  fingers,  and  how  we  did  shovel  in 
the  palow  and  kitcherdy,  you  would  have  said, 
'These  are  hungry  people.'  After  eating, we  washed 
our  hands  and  then  the  girls  sang  some  native 
roundelays  and  gracefully  moved  around  in  a  cir- 
cle. Then  the  lamps  were  lighted  and  a  big,  bright 
light — as  luminous  as  electricty — was  set  going 
and  we  had  an  illumination.  Then  we  had  fare- 
well talks. 

"  I  spoke  and  Wilbur  translated,  and  then 
Jimmie  Sahib  made  a  speech  and  said  how  glad  he 
was  that  he  had  become  one  of  us  and  that  he 
thanked  the  Lord  for  it  all.  Then  Maijee  talked 
and  she  could  not  keep  back  her  tears,  and  then 
other  tears  were  shed.  .  .  .  And  then  Wilbur 
spoke,  and  by  that  time  a  great  crowd  of  uncon- 
verted natives  had  gathered  up  by  the  wayside, 


THE  OTHER  HALF  OF  THE  GLOBE  243 

and  the  road  was  crowded  with  them.  They  had 
never  seen  or  heard  of  such  things  before.  Then  we 
all  knelt  down  and  asked  the  dear  Lord  to  keep  us 
all  faithful  to  the  end,  and  so  the  dinner  ended." 

"And  so,  too,  ended  their  last  visit  to  "  Dear 
Old  India."  They  sailed  for  China,  where  their 
tour  was  interrupted  on  account  of  trouble  in  the 
interior.  Canton  and  Hongkong  were  the  only 
towns  they  were  able  to  visit  before  continuing 
their  voyage  to  Japan.  After  a  short  stay  in  Ja- 
pan they  traveled  toward  their  homeland,  arriv- 
ing at  San  Francisco  April  13 — one  day  before 
schedule. 

And  so  ended  their  journeyings  about  the 
world — journeyings  that  included  every  continent 
but  South  America,  all  the  large  bodies  of  water, 
many  of  the  islands  of  the  sea,  and  which  cost,  in 
all,  about  twenty  thousand  dollars — all  of  which 
he  paid  himself.  The  results  of  this  vast  amount 
of  travel  were  used  to  forward  the  work  of  the 
church  in  the  establishment  of  missions  in  foreign 
lands,  and  in  the  strengthening  of  the  faith  of 
those  at  home. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

CORRESPONDENCE 

FATHER  MILLER  wrote  a  great  many  letters, 
especially  during  the  last  twenty-five  years 
of  his  life.  In  1900,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine, 
he  bought  a  typewriter  and  learned  to  use  it.  Later 
he  bought  another  with  many  improvements  and 
wrote  that  he  was  as  "  happy  as  a  boy  "  trying  it 
out.  When  he  was  at  home  he  often  spent  a  large 
part  of  the  day  writing  to  his  many  friends.  To 
my  father  alone,  from  the  time  the  Brethren  Pub- 
lishing House  was  moved  from  Mount  Morris  to 
Elgin,  in  1899,  until  his  death  in  1921,  he  wrote 
about  five  thousand  letters.  He  kept  up  a  con- 
stant correspondence  with  the  members  of  the  Mis- 
sion Board,  with  many  of  the  leaders  in  the  church 
and  with  his  friends.  People  wrote  him,  asking 
vital  questions  about  the  church  and  their  own 
problems.  Often  both  factions  in  a  church  trouble 
would  write  to  him  for  advice.  He  took  time  and 
pains  to  write  to  his  child  friends,  even  going  so 
far  as  to  illustrate  his  letters  with  pictures  and 
sometimes  his  own  drawings.  He  exercised  the 
greatest  care  in  all  of  his  writing  and  never  left  a 
letter  unanswered. 

245 


246  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

In  reading  hundreds  of  his  letters,  covering  a 
long  period  of  years,  a  number  of  things  are  no- 
ticeable. He  never  wrote  unkindly  of  anyone,  or 
judged  harshly,  no  matter  how  guilty  the  person 
under  discussion  might  be.  He  sometimes  said, 
"  If  this  person  did  so  and  so,  that  is  wrong,  but 
have  we  all  the  facts?"  Once  when  being  criticised 
because  he  was  too  lenient  in  his  judgments,  he 
retorted  that  if  he  erred  at  all  he  would  rather  it 
would  be  on  the  side  of  mercy.  And  when  one  con- 
siders his  kindly  nature  and  sympathetic  dispo- 
sition, it  is  easy  to  see  that  all  people  disclosed  to 
him  their  best  sides,  and  thus  he  judged  them  in 
the  most  kindly  light.  One  cannot  imagine  enter- 
ing the  peaceful  atmosphere  of  his  library  and  very 
long  remaining  irritated  or  angry. 

The  sins  and  mistakes  of  others  troubled  him 
so  greatly  at  times  that  he  actually  became  sick, 
but  he  never  judged  harshly.  In  -one  noted  case, 
when  the  offender  came  to  him,  bitter  and  angry, 
Father  Miller  wrote :  "—  -  showed  me  a  side  of 
his  character  I  had  never  seen  before.  I  listened 
to  his  talk  and  said  nothing.  We  do  not  know  how 
severely  he  was  tempted." 

There  is  a  remarkable  resemblance  between 
the  contents  of  his  letters  and  the  thoughts  in  his 
editorials.  His  real  thoughts  were  sincerely  ex- 
pressed, whether  in  letters  of  a  most  confidential 
nature  or  in  articles  for  the  public. 

He  had  a  sense  of  humor.    Often  under  strain, 


CORRESPONDENCE  247 

when  it  seemed  that  there  was  no  way  out  of  the 
trouble,  he  had  some  apt  story  or  humorous  bit  of 
philosophy  that  threw  light  on  the  situation  and 
broke  the  tension. 

And  again,  he  was  not  afraid  to  afford 
glimpses  of  that  inner  man  which  most  of  us  keep 
so  carefully  hidden.  He  was  not  afraid  to  wr.ite, 
"  I  love  you,"  "  I  have  been  mistaken,  forgive  me," 
"  The  Lord  has  been  good  to  me  and  helped  me  in 
this." 

The  following  letters  and  extracts  will  give  a 
fair  idea  of  Avhat  his  correspondence  was  like.  Most 
of  these  have  been  taken  from  my  father's  private 
file,  and  a  number  have  been  inserted  without  his 
knowledge  since  Father  Miller's  death: 

"  Bulsar,  India,  Jan.  27, 1899. 
"  Dear  Bessie,  D.  L.,  Kathren,  Kuth  and  Annie.— 

"  My  dear  Children : 

"  Here  is  a  little  story  I  have  written  for  you 
about  a  fat  man  and  a  little  red-headed  girl.  Let 
mama  or  papa  read  it  for  you  and  then  see  if  you 
know  the  fat  man  and  the  red-headed  girl. 

"  From  your  loving  Fader." 
"  THE  FAT  MAN  AND  THE  KED-HEADED  GIRL 

"  Once  upon  a  time,  a  good  while  ago,  before 
any  of  you  children  were  born,  there  lived  in  a 
western  town  a  little  fat  man.  He  was  not  very 
tall,  but  had  very  broad  shoulders  and  a  very  thick 
waist.  He  was  like  Santa  Claus  in  the  song,  with 
a  little  round  belly,  which,  when  he  laughed,  shook 
like  a  bowl  of  jelly.  He  had  a  nice  quiet  home,  a 


248  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

good,  kind,  loving  wife,  very  many  good,  kind 
friends  and  was  a  happy  man.  Only  one  thing 
was  lacking  in  his  home.  He  had  no  little  boys  and 
girls  to  make  the  house  noisy  with  their  prattle. 

"  When  the  fat  man  was  a  little  boy,  no  bigger 
than  D.  L.,  he  lived  in  an  eastern  State  with  his 
father  and  mother  in  a  large  brick  house  near 
which  stood  an  old  mill.  In  the  mill  he  was  born 
long,  long  ago,  even  before  your  papa  and  mama 
lived  in  this  world.  The  music  of  the  old  water 
wheel,  as  it  turned  around  from  Monday  morning 
until  Saturday  night,  giving  motion  to  the  mill,  the 
grinding  of  the  burrs,  the  creaking  of  cogwheels, 
and  the  whirr  of  the  machinery  were  all  familiar 
sounds  to  the  boy. 

"  There  was  a  great  millpond,  along  the  banks 
of  which  were  great  yellow  willows,  and  to  the  boy 
the  willow-bordered  lake  seemed  a  very  ocean  for 
bigness.  Beyond  the  stream  a  cedar-covered  hill 
rose  higher  than  the  old  mill  itself,  and  here  in  the 
long  summer  days  the  boy  used  to  lie  down  in  the 
green  grass  beneath  the  cedar  trees  and  read  books 
about  the  big,  big  world  and  dream  and  wonder 
what  it  was  all  like  far  away  from  the  mill,  and 
whether,  after  all,  the  lakes  and  oceans  were  so 
much  bigger  than  the  millpond  with  its  waters 
continually  pouring  over  the  great  dam,  making 
the  sweetest  music  the  boy  ever  heard.  It  was  like 
the  gentle  waves  of  the  sea  breaking  on  a  far-dis- 
tant shore.  The  boy  had  a  busy  life  and  the  happy 
days  of  childhood  full  of  golden  dreams  of  the  fu- 
ture passed  all  too  quickly  away.  There  were  the 
beautiful  summer  days  for  fishing  and  swimming 
in  the  limpid  waters  of  the  millpond,  of  work  on 


CORRESPONDENCE  249 

the  farm  and  in  the  mill,  and  the  winter  days  spent 
in  school. 

"And  the  boy  had,  oh,  such  a  dear  good  mother, 
and  he  used  to  lay  his  tired,  weary  head  upon  her 
bosom,  the  pillow  which  God  made,  and  cried  when 
he  was  taken  away  from  it,  and  cried  again  when 
God  took  her  home  to  heaven — cried  and  would  not 
be  comforted,  because  out  of  his  life  had  gone  the 
dearest  one  he  knew. 

"  Just  below  the  old  mill,  at  the  roots  of  an 
ancient  birch,  there  came  forth  a  spring  of  pure 
cold  water.  And  what  a  spring  of  water  that  was ! 
How  many,  many  times  on  the  hot  summer  days, 
while  working  at  the  hay,  did  the  boy,  tired  and 
thirsty,  drink  cupful  after  cupful  of  the  pure  cold 
water  beneath  the  shade  of  the  old  birch  tree !  And 
what  a  drink  that  was!  Ice  cream,  soda  water, 
Hires'  root  beer,  and  all  the  drinks  devised  by  the 
confectioner's  art,  and  of  which  the  boy  then  knew 
nothing,  cannot  be  compared  to  the  clear,  pure, 
cold  water  of  that  old  spring.  Oh,  how  good  it 
was,  and  how  often  in  after  years,  when  the  boy 
had  become  a  fat  man,  did  he  dream  that  he  was 
wandering  again  as  a  little  boy  about  the  old  home, 
in  the  mill  by  the  millpond,  in  the  house  with  his 
mother,  and  quenching  his  thirst  with  the  waters 
of  the  spring  at  the  birch  tree ! 

"And  behold,  in  the  days  when  the  boy  fished 
and  swam,  and  worked  and  drank  the  water  of  the 
good  spring,  a  little  red-headed  sister  with  a  freck- 
led nose  came  to  him  from  far-away  babyland. 
When  the  boy  first  saw  her  she  was  so  little  and 
had  such  red  hair  and  such  a  freckled  little  nose 
that  he  loved  her  right  away,  and  said  to  his  moth- 


250  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

er  '  Isn't  she  nice?'  And  the  boy  came  to  love  his 
sister  more  and  more,  for  she  was  a  good  little  girl 
when  she  took  a  notion  that  way,  and  in  the  evening 
time  he  would  often  take  her  on  his  knees  and  sing 
to  her, 

"  '  When  the  spring  time  comes,  gentle  Annie, 
And  the  wild  flowers  are  scattered  o'er  the 
lea,' 

and  also  other  songs,  for  her  brother  was  a  good 
singer  and  could  sing  two  whole  tunes  with  but 
two  or  three  and  sometimes  four  mistakes,  and  the 
little  girl  grew  and  ran  about  the  farmhouse  and 
the  barn  (for  now  they  had  moved  away  from  the 
mill )  bareheaded,  and  the  red  head  became  redder 
and  the  freckles  on  her  nose  spread  all  over  her 
face,  and  she  had  a  good  time. 

"And  the  boy  grew,  too,  and  became  a  man  and 
married  a  dear  good  wife,  and  left  his  home  and 
the  farmhouse,  and  the  old  mill  and  the  spring 
and  the  millpond  and  father  and  mother  and  his 
red-headed,  freckled-nosed  little  sister,  and  trav- 
eled far  away  over  mountains  and  rivers  ever  and 
ever  so  much  wider  than  the  old  millpond,  and 
found  for  himself  a  new  home  in  a  far-away  land. 
When  he  went  away  he  cried  a  good  deal,  for  he 
was  tender-hearted  and  loved  his  old  home,  his 
father  and  mother  and  his  little  red-headed,  freck- 
led-nosed, gentle  Annie. 

"And  it  came  to  pass  when  the  boy  had  a  home 
of  his  own,  and  was  growing  fat  and  was  happy 
with  his  own  dear  wife,  who  was  always  good  to 
him  and  loved  him  dearly,  that  the  dear  mother 
said,  '  I  will  send  Annie  to  live  with  my  son  and 
his  wife,  so  that  when  the  Lord  calls  me  home  my 


CORRESPONDENCE  251 

dear  little  girl  will  have  a  good  home  and  will  be 
loved  and  cared  for.'  And  Annie  came  and  the  fat 
man  and  his  wife  took  her  into  their  home  gladly, 
and  there  was  joy  in  their  hearts,  for  they  loved  the 
little  red-headed  girl.  And  she  lived  with  the  fat 
man  a  long  time  and  went  to  school  and  grew  and 
grew  until  she  couldn't  grow  any  more. 

"And  then  there  came  a  long,  thin  man  from 
Indiana,  and  his  eyes  fell  upon  Annie's  round,  full 
face  without  a  freckle,  and  on  her  beautiful  hair, 
no  longer  red  now,  but  auburn,  and  her  brown, 
dreamy  eyes  and  he  felt  queer  about  the  heart.  And 
Annie  felt  queer,  too,  and  cast  down  her  eyes  when 
he  looked  quietly  into  their  dreamy  depths,  and 
blushed  when  he  squeezed  her  little  fat  hand.  And 
the  long  man  from  Indiana  came  to  the  fat  man's 
house  and  stood  with  her  of  the  auburn  hair  be- 
hind the  door,  near  the  register,  for  it  was  cold, 
and  took  her  hand  in  his,  and  said  something  to 
her,  and  she  blushed  and  said  "  Yes !"  And  the  long 
man  took  her  in  his  long  arms  and  kissed  her.  And 
then  he  asked  the  fat  man  and  he  said  "Yes,"  and 
they  all  said  "  Yes."  And  then  Annie  of  the  au- 
burn hair  was  married  to  the  tall  man  and  went 
with  him  to  a  home  of  her  own,  and  this  is  what 
became  of  the  little  red-headed  girl.  The  fat  man 
travels  in  many  lands,  and  he  is  growing  old,  and 
one  of  these  days  he  will  go  home  to  meet  the  dear 
mother  and  father  and  will  wait  and  watch  for  the 
coming  of  gentle  Annie  and  her  dear  husband  and 
all  the  little  ones  that  God  has  given  them." 

In  1898,  after  preparing  an  article  reviewing 
the  history  of  the  church  for  twenty  years,  Father 
Miller  wrote  the  following  prophecy : 


252  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

"  I  have  now  a  mind  to  set  myself  up  as  Dan- 
iel the  Prophet  II.,  and  write  for  the  year  1920. 
That  will  be  a  forward  glance.  The  endowment 
fund  will  be  one  million,  the  church  will  have  a 
membership  of  200,000.  There  will  be  missions 
in  India,  Africa,  China,  Japan  and  the  Islands  of 
the  Sea,  $100,000  for  missions,  Messenger  subscrip- 
tion list  50,000,  Sunday-school  literature  150,000, 
Pilot,  40,000,  and  a  few  other  things  will  have  taken 
place  by  the  time  the  new  century  is  one-fifth  gone. 
D.  L.  Miller,  J.  G.  Koyer,  J.  H.  Moore,  Joseph 
Amick,  D.  E.  Price,  Enoch  Eby,  L.  W.  Teeter, 
Abram  Barnhart  and  a  score  of  others  of  our  age 
will  be  at  rest." 

A  private  view  of  his  life,  Oct.  5, 1898 : 

"  In  some  respects  life  has  been  a  disappoint- 
ment to  me.  I  had  many  hopes  and  aspirations 
spiritually  that  I  have  never  realized,  and  I  now 
think  I  never  shall  in  this  world.  When  we  are 
young,  the  story  says, '  If  our  lives  and  motives  are 
pure  we  hope  for  too  much,'  and  that  may  and  does 
bring  us  disappointment.  Somehow  or  other  I 
feel  that  my  life  work  is  done,  and  how  little  and 
insignificant  it  all  seems  when  viewed  from  the 
higher  spiritual  plane !  I  do  not  think  I  am  morbid 
on  this  subject,  but  I  feel  just  what  I  am  writing. 
One  thing  I  want  to  do,  i.  e.,  make  the  very  best 
possible  use  of  the  days  that  God  may  yet  give  me 
to  live  in  this  world." 

Here  he  shows  his  sense  of  humor,  writing 
Feb.  21, 1900: 

"  Talking  about  dying  reminds  me  of  the  Irish- 
man who  had  taken  a  '  wee  drap '  too  much  and 


CORRESPONDENCE  253 

felt  down-hearted  when  he  thought  about  the  re- 
ception Bridget  would  give  him  when  he  reached 
his  shanty.  The  more  he  thought  of  it  the  more 
he  felt,  and  finally  in  the  bitterness  of  his  soul  he 
groaned,  *  O  Lord,  I  wish  I  was  dead.'  Just  then 
a  brick  dropped  from  a  scaffold  under  which  he  was 
passing  and  struck  him  on  the  head.  It  didn't  kill 
him,  but  it  dazed  him  for  awhile.  At  last  recover- 
ing his  senses,  having  passed  out  from  under  the 
scaffold,  he  looked  up  to  the  sky  and  said :  '  Can't 
ye's  niver  take  a  joke  up  ther?'  " 

This  letter  shows  the  care  he  used  in  discuss- 
ing  church  problems :  «  Qct  ^  mi 

"  My  dear  Brother  H—       - : 

"  I  have  before  me  a  copy  of  your  letter,  ad- 
dressed to  the  General  Missionary  Committee, 
dated  the  13th  inst.,  and  am  impressed  with  the 
thought  that  I  should  write  you  concerning  the 
question  to  which  you  call  the  attention  of  the  Mis- 
sion Board. 

"  It  has  been  a  source  of  much  regret  to  us 
that  so  few  of  our  better-educated  young  brethren 
have  offered  their  services  to  the  committee  for 
work  in  the  home  and  foreign  fields.  The  Smyrna 
field  has  been  unoccupied  for  two  years,  because  no 
one  can  be  found  to  take  up  the  work.  A  young 
man  is  also  wanted  in  France,  but  we  do  not  have 
those  who  are  ready  for  the  work.  I  am.  of  the 
opinion  that  while  the  (  order  '  question  has  its  in- 
fluence, there  is  also  another  and  more  potent  de- 
terrent than  the  one  named  by  you.  The  home  and 
foreign  mission  work  is  not  so  attractive,  and  so 
promising  as  are  some  other  avenues  of  activity 


254  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

opening  up  for  our  college  men.  In  my  judgment 
it  is  not  so  much  a  question  of  order  as  it  is  a  ques- 
tion of  recompense  and  success. 

"  I  am  quite  willing  to  admit  that  the  order 
question  may  have  its  influence,  for  it  is  a  growing 
question  in  our  growing  church.  It  has  now  quite 
outgrown  the  question  of  plain  dressing.  He  that 
would  confine  it  to  the  cut  of  a  garment  is  indeed  a 
man  who  has  not  looked  into  the  tendency  of  the 
times.  It  now  includes  not  only  the  gospel  princi- 
ple of  plain  dressing,  but  the  admission  into  the 
church  of  secretism  and  worldlyism  of  many  types 
and  forms.  If  the  church  were  to  adapt  her  prac- 
tice to  the  demands  of  the  times  in  which  we  live, 
primitive  Christianity,  so  far  as  the  Brethren 
Church  is  an  exponent  of  primitive  Christianity, 
would  be  lost  to  the  world. 

"  Your  information,  that  the  board  has  been 
led  to  think  of  giving  up  city  mission  work,  is  in- 
correct. In  the  discussion  of  these  questions  it  has 
been  said  that  we  must  adopt  better  methods  for 
carrying  forward  the  work,  or  we  might  as  well 
give  it  up  in  some  places.  But  this  is  far  from  say- 
ing that  it  is  the  intention  to  abandon  city  work. 
Even  the  apostles  were  unable  to  establish  the  true 
faith  in  all  the  cities,  but  were  compelled  to  shake 
the  dust  off  their  feet  as  a  witness  against  some  of 
the  places  in  which  they  labored. 

"  If  you  have  a  plan,  my  dear  brother,  by  which 
the  Brethren  Church  can  be  held  together  as  one 
body  in  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  and  at  the  same 
time  have  the  change  made  you  desire,  I  shall  be 
more  than  pleased  to  have  the  plan.  In  making  this 
statement  I  take  it  for  granted  your  plan  will  not 


CORRESPONDENCE  255 

give  up  a  single  gospel  principle  which  the  church 
holds  sacred  today. 

"  I  am  not  to  be  understood  as  saying,  or  be- 
lieving, that  the  church  does  not  need  some 
changes;  these  will  come  as  fast  as  we  can  bear 
them.  Any  radical  move  to  secure  such  changes  as 
are  desirable  will  as  certainly  result  in  another  di- 
vision of  the  church  as  did  the  radical  movement 
started  by  the  Progressives.  The  church  now  has 
all  the  good  things  she  then  lacked,  which  they 
wanted,  and  has  avoided  the  evils  into  which  they 
fell.  I  think  I  know  you  well  enough  to  know  that 
you  do  not  want  another  division  in  the  church. 

"  You  close  your  letter  with  an  important 
question.  How  can  those  who  have  gone  away  be 
won  back?  How  can  our  college  brethren  be 
brought  into  fuller  sympathy  with  the  church?  It 
is  a  question  that  churches  other  than  ours  are  ask- 
ing. While  you  say  that  college  men  do  their  own 
thinking,  others  are  also  doing  their  own  thinking. 
The  Lutheran,  the  Methodist,  the  Presbyterian, 
the  Baptist — all  are  asking  why  it  is  that  we  are 
having  a  dearth  of  students  at  our  theological 
schools.  How  can  we  get  our  young  men  to  make 
the  requisite  sacrifice  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ?  The  answer  to  these  questions,  it  is  feared 
by  many  thinkers,  is  to  be  found  in  the  tendency  of 
university  life.  The  great  universities  are  becom- 
ing great  educational  trusts.  With  millions  of 
money  in  their  grasp,  the  tendency  is  to  a  looseness 
in  faith.  The  Bible  is  discredited.  The  story  of  the 
creation  found  in  Genesis  is  a  myth,  the  Old  Testa- 
ment a  collection  of  folklore,  or  traditions,  and  of 
the  superstitions  of  an  age  when  a  written  lan- 
guage was  unknown.  .  .  . 


256  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

"  I  would  plead  with  our  college  brethren,  who 
have  enjoyed  better  educational  advantages  than 
some  of  us  who  are  older,  that  they  cling  to  their 
faith  in  the  Bible,  that  they  stand  firm  for  the 
unity  of  the  church  of  Christ.  Do  not  allow  your- 
selves to  be  deceived  with  the  false  notion  that 
plainness  of  dress  holds  the  church  back,  and  that, 
if  the  form  of  dress  now  held  to  were  set  aside,  she 
would  leap  at  once  into  popularity,  and  succeed 
where  she  now  fails.  It  is  not  that  which  holds 
her  back.  It  is  the  great  underlying  truth  that  the 
church  and  the  world  are  two  separate  and  distinct 
bodies,  and  that  there  always  has  been  and  always 
must  be  a  conflict  between  the  two.  The  world 
hated  and  put  to  death  the  Founder  of  the  church, 
it  counted  his  followers  as  the  offscouring  of  the 
earth,  it  sought  to  stamp  out  the  religion  of  the 
Man  of  Nazareth  by  persecuting  unto  death  all  who 
called  upon  his  name,  but  it  failed.  What  the 
world  failed  to  do  by  persecution  then  it  is  now  at- 
tempting to  do  by  blandishments  of  refinement  and 
higher  criticism  and  unbelief.  Instead  of  the 
bloody  sword  of  persecution  we  have  the  scented, 
bejeweled  dude  and  the  fashion-loving  lady;  in- 
stead of  the  judgment  hall  of  Caesar,  the  university 
with  its  half -hidden  infidelity ;  instead  of  the  stake 
the  sugar-coated  unbelief  of  higher  criticism.  The 
world  is  trying  with  these  blandishments  and  these 
devices  to  kill  the  spirituality  of  the  church,  and  is 
fast  accomplishing  her  purpose.  God  pity  and 
help  us !  The  world  begins  with  flirtation  and  ends 
with  assassination. 

"You  will  pardon  my  seeming  warmth  dis- 
played in  the  discussion  of  this  question.  It  is  a 
vital  one  and  lies  near  my  heart. 


ONK  OF  HIS  ILLUSTRATED  LETTERS 


CORRESPONDENCE  257 

"  With  kind  regards  to  yourself  and  Sister 
H—  — ,  and  with  the  hope  that  you  both  may  be 
led  by  God,  I  am 

"  Yours  fraternally, 

"  D.  L.  Miller." 

Here  we  see  the  pains  he  took  in  answering 
questions : 

"  Mount  Morris,  111.,  Oct.  15, 1903. 
"  My  dear  Brother  M—       - : 

"  I  have  your  letter  with  a  copy  of  the  report 
and  decisions  of  A.  M.  Committee  to  Western 
Pennsylvania  and  Western  Virginia,  and  have  giv- 
en it  careful  thought  and  consideration.  I  cannot 
say  that  I  fully  understand  the  situation  in  your 
congregation,  neither  do  I  think  it  wise  to  advise 
on  a  question  with  which  I  am  not  fully  familiar. 
It  is  impossible  for  me  to  get  from  your  letter  a 
full  resume  of  all  the  committee  has  done  and  what 
has  led  it  to  the  conclusion  it  has  reached.  From 
your  standpoint  you  give  very  briefly  what  appears 
to  you  to  be  the  situation.  In  order  to  be  fully  pre- 
pared to  give  an  opinion  I  ought  also  to  have  the 
situation  from  the  committee  standpoint.  The 
fairness  of  this  statement  will,  I  know,  appeal  at 
once  to  your  good  judgment. 

"  I  am  personally  acquainted  with  the  mem- 
bers of  the  committee.  With  two  of  them  I  have 
worked  for  a  number  of  years  in  the  important 
mission  work  of  the  church,  and  I  have  always 
found  them  fair-minded  and  disposed  to  do  right  as 
God  gave  them  to  see  the  right.  I  do  not  believe 
that  either  one  of  the  three  men  would  knowingly 
do  a  wrong  thing,  either  in  a  personal  matter  or 


258  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

church  government.  I  also  regard  them  as  men 
of  matured  and  sound  judgment.  I  may  further 
say  if  they  have  made  mistakes  they  are  of  the 
head  and  not  of  the  heart. 

"  With  the  foregoing  in  mind  I  take  up  the 
questions  you  ask  in  the  order  you  have  stated  them 
in  your  letter,  and  answer  them  under  the  limita- 
tions given  in  the  first  paragraph  of  this  letter : 

"  '  1.  Have  we  a  right  to  do  anything  for  which 
we  have  no  direct  gospel  authority,  either  by  pos- 
itive command,  or  the  general  tenor  of  the  Word?  ' 

"Answer :  Yes  and  no.  We  have  the  right  as 
a  church  to  adopt  means  to  carry  out  the  principles 
and  doctrines  of  the  Gospel.  The  means  may  change 
from  time  to  time  to  meet  changed  conditions,  but 
the  principles  are  eternal  and  unchangeable,  the 
same  yesterday,  today  and  forever.  For  example : 
at  one  time  our  church  had  no  meetinghouses,  the 
necessity  for  them  not  existing;  now  we  have 
many.  Once  we  did  not  have  a  mission  board ;  now 
we  have  one  as  a  means  to  carry  forward  the  great 
work  of  the  church.  The  church  changed  from  the 
double  to  the  single  mode  of  feet- washing  without 
disturbing  the  principle.  This  rule  has  been  and 
may  be  applied  to  all  our  work.  But  the  church 
has  no  right  to  bind  upon  any  one,  as  a  principle, 
anything  not  in  accord  with  the  word  and  the  spirit 
of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  At  this  point  the 
clearest  distinction  must  be  made  between  princi- 
ples and  means  to  carry  them  out.  The  first  are 
God-given,  made  in  the  council  chambers  of  heaven ; 
the  second  are  man-made  and  are  devised  for  suc- 
cessfully carrying  out  the  former.  Unless  a  clear 
distinction  is  made  at  this  point  we  are  liable  to 
fall  into  confusion.  Admitting  that  the  church  has 


CORRESPONDENCE  259 

the  right  to  adopt  means  to  carry  out  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Gospel,  then  it  follows  that  this  should 
be  done  by  a  representative  body  of  the  church,  and 
when  such  a  body  of  the  church,  moved  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  adopts  a  rule  of  action,  not  contrary 
to  Divine  teaching,  all  the  members  of  the  church 
should  walk  according  to  the  rule.  There  is  no 
other  way  to  maintain  the  unity  of  the  church.  If 
each  member,  or  group  of  members,  do  as  they 
please,  confusion  and  anarchy  result.  If  conditions 
change  and  a  change  of  means  is  required  the 
change  must  come  through  the  representative  body 
of  the  church.  This  is  a  fundamental  law  lying  at 
the  very  foundation  of  all  unified  government  and 
is  a  law  of  God.  See  Acts  15. 

"  '  2.  Do  we  need  more  than  the  Gospel  and 
our  baptismal  vows  to  keep  us  faithful,  loyal  and 
devoted  to  Christ  and  his  church? ' 

"Answer :  We  need  the  fellowship  of  the  church 
membership,  the  watchful  care  of  the  overseers 
whom  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  appointed  to  watch  over 
the  flock,  the  counsel  and  advice  of  the  united  body 
of  the  church,  and  the  help,  the  love  and  the  sympa- 
thy of  our  fellow-Christians.  To  attain  to  the  high- 
est possible  degree  of  spiritual  development  we 
need  every  possible  means  afforded  by  the  church 
and  the  Gospel.  Even  with  all  these  means  of  grace 
some  fail  to  grow,  become  spiritually  dwarfed  and 
die  a  spiritual  death.  '  Thou  hast  a  name  that  thou 
livest,  and  art  dead  '  (Kev.  3:1). 

"  i  3.  Why  should  members  who  conform  to 
the  order  of  the  church  be  required  to  sign  a  paper 
in  order  to  hold  their  membership  in  the  church?  ' 

"Answer:   I  know  no  reason  why  such  a  de- 


260  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

mand  should  be  made.  I  find  no  such  requirement 
in  the  paper  you  sent  me.  Did  the  committee  decide 
that  those  in  order  should  sign  a  paper  to  retain 
membership  in  the  church?  If  so,  they  have  made 
a  mistake. 

" t  4.  What  constitutes  the  order  of  Christ's 
church  as  taught  and  observed  by  our  Lord  and  his 
apostles?  Does  not  the  true  Christian  always  live 
right  and  dress  right? ' 

"Answer :  First.  Nonconformity  to  the  world 
( Eom.  12 : 1-3 ) .  Men  to  have  their  heads  uncovered 
and  women  their  heads  covered  in  time  of  prayer  ( 1 
Cor.  11:  1-16).  To  wear  modest  apparel,  not  to 
dress  in  costly  clothes,  not  to  wear  gold  as  an  orna- 
ment, nor  to  wear  braided  hair  ( 1  Tim.  1 :  9-10 ;  1 
Peter  3:  34).  The  letter  and  the  spirit  of  these 
scriptures  if  obeyed  from  the  heart  would  make  the 
Brethren  Church  a  very  plainly-dressed  people. 
Second.  The  true  Christian  sometimes  makes  mis- 
takes and  needs  reproof  and  correction.  It  was  for 
this  very  purpose  that  the  inspired  teachings  are 
given  so  that  the  man  of  God  may  be  complete, 
completely  furnished  unto  all  good  works  (2  Tim. 
18:17). 

"  <  6.  Can  a  proud  heart  be  made  humble  by 
simply  placing  certain  forms  on  the  outside?' 

"Answer :  No ;  never.  No  more  than  you  can 
give  a  man  a  new  heart  by  baptizing  him,  or  make 
him  humble  by  having  him  engage  in  the  ordinance 
of  feet-washing.  Neither  will  the  humble  heart 
place  the  garb  of  pride  on  his  body.  One  says  to 
me,  '  I  am  humble  in  heart  and  it  doesn't  matter 
what  I  put  on  the  body.'  When  I  see  such  an  one 
decked  in  the  tinsel  of  costly  and  fashionable  ar- 


CORRESPONDENCE  261 

ray,  I  always  think  of  the  old  countryman  who 
bought  a  clock,  and,  finding  that  the  hands  did  not 
indicate  the  right  time,  took  them  to  the  clock  mak- 
er and  said,  '  These  hands  do  not  keep  the  right 
kind  of  time.  I  want  you  to  mend  their  ways.'  The 
man  of  clocks  replied,  '  My  friend,  you  must  bring 
the  clock  to  me,  and  I  get  inside  of  it  and  make  that 
right  and  the  hands  will  point  out  the  right 
time.'  If  the  dress  of  a  man  or  woman  is  not  in 
line  with  the  teaching  and  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  if 
it  is  not  becoming  to  those  professing  godliness,  if 
it  is  inconsistent  with  true  humility,  I  always  tell 
them  to  go  to  Christ  and  get  the  heart  set  right, 
and  then  the  outside,  the  hands,  will  indicate  the 
correct  style  of  dress.  It  must  be  from  the  inside 
out  and  not  from  the  outside  in.  Even  unto  this 
day  there  are  those  who,  having  a  form  of  godli- 
ness, deny  the  power  thereof  (2  Tim.  3:5). 

" '  7.  Can  we  find  one  instance  upon  record 
where  the  Savior  ever  used  any  other  method  than 
that  of  teaching  and  drawing  men  unto  him  by  the 
precious  cords  of  love? ' 

"Answer:  We  have  the  incidents  in  Christ's 
life  and  methods  of  the  cleansing  of  the  temple 
when  he  severely  rebuked  members  of  the  Jewish 
faith  and  drove  them  out,  and  of  the  teaching  in 
the  parable,  where  men  were  compelled  to  come 
to  the  feast.  There  are  cases  where,  admonitions 
failing,  harsher  measures  were  used  by  the  apos- 
tles. But  the  spirit  of  the  teaching  of  Christ  is 
that  of  love  and  entreaty,  and  this  spirit  should 
characterize  his  church.  Excision  is  only  to  be 
resorted  to  when  love,  entreaty,  admonition  and  re- 
proof fail  time  and  again.  As  long  as  there  are 
signs  of  spiritual  life  and  a  disposition  to  be  led 


262  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

in  the  right  way,  harsh  means  should  not  be  re- 
sorted to. 

"'8.  If  we  are  his  true  followers  (which  I 
trust  we  are) ,  dare  we  use  any  other  way  than  lead- 
ing and  teaching  the  people  to  live  temperately 
and  consistently  in  all  things,  to  God's  glory? ' 

"Answer :  As  stated  under  No.  7,  only  in  ex- 
press cases  should  resort  be  made  to  the  severity 
of  expulsion.  Where  a  principle  is  at  stake  and 
love  and  entreaty  and  admonition  and  reproof  fail, 
as  they  sometimes  do,  and  there  is  a  going  world- 
ward  instead  of  living  to  God's  glory,  then,  and 
then  only,  should  Paul's  harsher  measure,  excom- 
munication, be  resorted  to. 

"  '  9.  Should  we  not  all  exercise  a  good  deal 
more  charity  and  forbearance  and  patience  toward 
those  who  cannot  see  things  as  we  do? ' 

"Answer :  Yes.  Let  love  abound,  and  let  pa- 
tience have  her  perfect  work.  None  of  us  are  as 
patient,  and  as  loving  and  as  kind  as  we  ought  to 
be.  We  must  have  forbearance  and  we  must  receive 
the  weak  but  not  to  doubtful  disputation  (Rom. 
14:1). 

"  '  10.    Which  should  we  obey,  God  or  man?  ' 

"Answer :  Obey  God  rather  than  man,  always 
and  under  every  conceivable  condition.  If  man 
forbids  you  to  be  a  witness  for  Jesus  or  to  speak 
his  name,  pay  no  attention  to  him,  even  if  it  brings 
you  stripes  and  death.  If  man  forbids  you  to  obey 
all  the  commandments  of  the  Gospel,  if  he  counts 
you  as  the  offscouring  of  the  earth,  because  you 
have  an  humble  heart  inside  and  outgrowth  of  an 
humble  heart  on  the  outside  in  the  form  of  modest, 
inexpensive  apparel,  go  on  your  way,  obeying  from 
the  heart  that  form  of  doctrine  to  which  you  have 


CORRESPONDENCE  263 

been  delivered,  rejoicing  in  your  heart,  for  great  is 
your  reward  in  heaven.  If  ostracism,  persecution, 
stripes,  imprisonment,  suffering  and  death  come 
to  us  because  we  follow  the  lowly  Nazarene,  let  us 
follow  him  all  the  way,  for  we  know  that  all  who 
live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus  shall  suffer  persecution 
(2  Tim.  3:12). 

"  I  have  now,  my  dear  brother,  followed  close- 
ly along  the  line  of  the  questions  you  have  asked. 
In  the  fear  of  God  I  have  answered,  realizing  that 
I  must  give  an  account  for  what  I  have  written.  I 
have  used  my  best  judgment  and  I  am  fully  per- 
suaded that  the  answers  are  according  to  the  Word 
of  God.  As  such  I  submit  them  to  your  careful 
and  prayerful  consideration.  Receive  them  only  so 
far  as  they  accord  with  the  truth.  That  far  you 
are  under  obligation  to  receive  them. 

"  I  am  much  concerned  about  the  present  con- 
dition of  the  church,  of  which  the  difficulties  in 
your  congregation  are  an  exemplification.  I  recog- 
nize the  gravity  of  the  situation  and  very  much 
fear,  unless  wise  counsels  prevail,  that  another  di- 
vision is  imminent.  May  God  in  his  wisdom  avert 
such  a  calamity.  We  have  passed  through  one  or- 
deal, and  that  ought  to  be  enough  to  last  the  church 
until  the  coming  of  the  Master. 

"  I  am  very  glad  for  one  statement  in  your  let- 
ter, that  you  do  not  intend  to  leave  the  church.  Let 
us  stay  by  the  church.  Rather  give  up  some  of  our 
views  than  to  bring  devastation  that  will  surely 
follow  another  division.  I  would  counsel  you  all  to 
stand  by  the  church  and  accept  the  committee  re- 
port. If  there  is  a  needed  change  in  methods  let 
us  secure  it  as  a  united  body  at  our  Annual  Meet- 
ing. We  must  stand  together.  I  do  not  always 


264  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

have  what  I  want  from  the  Conference,  but  I  am 
willing  to  let  my  notions  pass  and  accept  the  voice 
of  the  Conference  so  long  as  it  does  not  ask  me  to 
go  contrary  to  the  great  principles  of  the  Gospel. 
Last  year  I  verily  believed  that  a  modification  of 
our  position  on  life  insurance  should  pass  the  meet- 
ing, but  when  two-thirds  of  the  Conference  could 
not  be  had  to  vote  in  favor  of  the  change,  I  bowed  in 
submission  to  the  decision.  I  know  no  other  way 
to  do  and  at  the  same  time  maintain  the  unity  of 
the  church. 

"  I  have  taken  a  good  deal  of  time  to  give  you 
careful  and  considerate  answer  to  your  letter  and 
the  questions  you  have  asked.  May  God  so  direct 
that  the  peace  and  unity  of  the  church  be  main- 
tained and  may  we  more  and  more  glorify  his 
great  name  by  living  the  Christ  life.  Yours  in 
Christ, 

"  D.  L.  Miller/' 

"  Jan.  14,  1914. 

"  To  be  economical,  to  save  what  God  blesses 
you  with  so  as  to  be  able  to  give  to  all  good  things 
and  to  the  poor  and  needy  is  a  noble  virtue,  and 
one,  it  seems  to  me,  all  too  scarce  among  professing 
Christians.  But  to  oppress  the  poor  wage  earner, 
to  use  graft  to  increase  one's  income  has  always 
been  and  always  will  be  wrong.  Tainted  money 
will  never  buy  virtue  and  righteousness.  And  yet 
there  is  the  other  side.  As  for  me  I  shall  not  be 
too  severe  on  the  other  fellow,  for  I  cannot  look 
into  the  heart  of  the  moderately  rich  man  and  know 
his  motives.  God  alone  can  do  that.  As  for  my- 
self, I  should  be  afraid  to  die  rich.  A  brother  who 
has  been  hoarding  his  wealth  said  to  me, '  Brother 


CORRESPONDENCE  265 

Dan,  I  could  die  easier  if  I  did  not  have  so  much 
money." 

"  Sept.  22,  1914. 

"  We  are  so  often  misunderstood  in  this  world. 
'  For  now  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly,  but  then 
face  to  face;  now  I  know  in  part,  but  then  shall 
I  know  even  as  I  am  known.'  To  me  this  will  be 
the  great  joy  of  heaven.  Nothing  hid,  no  misunder- 
standing, no  heartaches  for  a  lack  of  appreciation. 
You  will  be  able  to  look  into  my  heart  and  know 
me  as  God  knows  me  and  I  shall  have  the  same 
blessing." 

"  You  know  we  are  not  always  conscious  of 
our  faults,  and  that  is,  no  doubt,  true  in  my  case. 
I  have  tried  to  do  my  best  and  these  days  I  come  to 
feel  that  my  best  has  been  poor  indeed.  Not  what 
I  have  done  will  count  in  the  end,  but  what  Christ 
has  done  for  me." 

ON  CHRISTMAS 

"  Dec.  24, 1912. 

"  Maybe  that  it's  the  Christmas  spirit  that  has 
got  hold  of  me  and  makes  me  feel  kindly  toward 
everybody.  I  have  been  helping  a  bit  to  bring 
cheer  into  homes  where  poverty  finds  an  abiding 
place  and  it  makes  me  feel  good. 

"  i  For  the  world  is  full  of  roses,  and  the  roses 

full  of  dew, 

And  the  dew  is  full  of  heavenly  love  that 
drips  for  me  and  you.' 

"  Tomorrow  we  will  have  a  quiet  Christmas. 
Just  Mother,  Minnie  and  I.  There  is  to  be  a  roast 


266  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

chicken,  cranberry  sauce  and  sweet  potatoes.  So 
much  I  have  learned  of  the  bill  of  fare.  As  to  the 
chicken  I  cut  its  head  off  this  A.  M.  The  bloody 
deed  was  done,  as  befits  such  murder,  in  the  dark 
cellar,  and  the  fowl's  blood  flowed  in  a  box  with  the 
lid  put  on  after  the  headless  bird  was  in. 

"  God  bless  you  all  and  bring  to  you  good 
Christmas  cheer." 

^C  i|i  ijf  ^f  % 

CHURCH  GOVERNMENT 

"  Jan.  1,  1912. 

"  Your  research  on  the  question  of  Church 
Government  is  interesting.  I  went  over  the  ques- 
tion years  ago  and  settled  it  for  myself,  that  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  comes  nearest  to  the  Scrip- 
ture of  any  that  I  could  find.  While  I  did  not  find 
it  perfect,  I  found  it  better  to  my  liking  than  any 
other.  I  could  not  accept  Erastianism,  and  the 
doctrine  that  the  church  was  without  external  or- 
ganization I  could  not  accept  for  a  single  minute. 
The  popish  theory  was  the  most  repugnant  of  all 
to  my  notion  of  things,  and  also  to  the  Scriptures 
as  I  understood  them.  The  prelatical  theory,  hold- 
ing firmly  to  apostolic  succession,  so  ably  discussed, 
and  its  weakness  shown  by  Stein  in  the  Stein  and 
Ray  debate,  was  not  to  be  considered  a  moment 
if  I  adhered  to  the  Scriptures.  Thus  by  systematic 
study  and  rejection  I  centered  on  two  forms,  the 
Congregational  and  the  Brethren's.  Sifted  down 
to  the  kernel,  Congregationalism  holds  that  the 
governing  body  or  power  is  in  the  organized  congre- 
gation. Each  worshiping  assembly  is  complete  in 
itself  and  independent  in  itself,  and  for  the  life  of 
me  I  never  could  see  but  that,  carried  to  its  logical 
conclusion,  it  meant  individualism,  and  that  is 


CORRESPONDENCE  267 

not  in  harmony  with  the  thought  that  the  '  church 
is  the  body  of  Christ.'  By  elimination  I  came  to 
our  own  firmly-grounded  scriptural  doctrine  of 
church  government.  The  congregation  is  the  unit 
of  power,  transacts  its  own  affairs,  decides  upon 
the  necessary  qualifications  of  membership,  has 
power  of  excommunication,  and  every  member, 
male  and  female,  has  right  of  vote.  The  visible 
church  is  one  in  the  sense  that  the  smaller  part  is 
subject  to  a  larger,  and  the  larger  to  the  whole. 
Bishops  and  ministers  are  the  highest  permanent 
officers,  and  these  are  to  be  followed  only  so  far  as 
they  follow  Christ.  The  Annual  Conference  is  but 
the  representative  body  of  the  whole  church,  and 
has  power  of  the  whole  only  when  it  acts  in  con-> 
formity  with  the  Scriptures.  It  is  not  legislative, 
but  executive  in  its  authority.  It  has  made  mis- 
takes and  righted  them  and  will  make  more.  It  is 
a  human  organization,  divinely  authorized,  and 
divinely  approved  when  it  meets  in  the  Spirit  of 
God  and  all  its  delegates  are  Spirit-filled  men.  The 
whole  scheme  to  my  mind  comes  nearer  the  teach- 
ings and  the  spirit  of  the  Scriptures  than  any  other 
form  I  have  found,  and  I  accepted  it  years  ago 
fully  and  unreservedly." 

4c      $       4c      $      $ 

ABOUT  THE  DEATH  OF  BROTHER  J.  Gr.  KOYER 

"  Feb.  9, 1917. 

"Aside  from  your  mother  and  Mary  I  feel  that 
no  one  at  Mount  Morris  will  miss  your  father  as  I 
will,  if  I  return.  I  have  already  intimated  to  you 
that  Mount  Morris  will  never  be  to  me  what  it  was 
when  he  was  there.  He  was  in  my  home  so  often 
and  we  talked  over  church  problems  and  our  own 


268  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

personal  experiences  so  many  times  in  real  heart- 
to-heart  talks  that  I  shall  miss  him  so  much.  In 
a  way  I  do  not  feel  like  going  back  to  Mount  Mor- 
ris again.  Mother  and  I  have  now  planned  to 
stay  here  until  Annual  Meeting  time,  and  then 
come  back  here  again  if  all  goes  well  with  us.  Of 
course  this  may  be  changed,  but  it  seems  now  that 
we  shall  do  that  way.  Then  if  we  are  spared  we 
may  spend  another  winter  here. 

"  The  departure  of  your  father  has  also  deep- 
ly impressed  me  that  I  am  among  the  aged.  Eeally, 
I  have  been  unable  to  realize  this.  Somehow  it 
seemed  out  of  the  question  to  me  mentally  that  I 
had  lived  over  seventy-five  years.  In  a  little  over 
four  and  a  half  years,  if  the  Lord  spare,  I  shall  be 
eighty,  and  I  know  that  when  one  reaches  that  age 
he  is  an  old  man.  When  I  was  your  age  I  used  to 
say,  '  If  the  Lord  spares  me  I  still  have  t\venty 
years  to  work.'  That  time  has  passed  so  swiftly 
that  I  cannot  tell  how  the  years  have  fled. 

"  The  respect  shown  to  your  father  is  only  a 
manifestation  of  the  good  he  did  among  those  who 
came  in  touch  with  him.  His  life  was  full  of  good 
works,  and  as  I  always  understood  him  he  never 
rested  his  hope  of  salvation  on  good  works  but  on 
Christ  and  him  crucified." 

^C  jfc  JJC  ^C  j(c 

ON  THE  WAR 

"  May  14,  1917. 

"  Just  before  I  left  home  I  read  Carlyle's  his- 
tory of  Frederick  the  Great,  the  second  king  of 
Prussia.  When  his  father  William  died  he  as- 
cended the  throne  and  at  once  marched  his  army 
over  into  Silesia,  Austrian  territory,  and  held  it. 


CORRESPONDENCE  269 

Prussia  was  then  not  larger  than  the  six  coun- 
ties of  Northern  Illinois  and  had  a  population  of 
but  7,000,000  souls.  Frederick  had  a  three  years' 
war  with  the  great  Austrian  Empire  and  came  out 
ahead  and  held  Silesia.  Later  he  had  a  seven 
years'  war  with  England,  Kussia,  Austria  and 
France.  His  little  Prussian  army  fought  seven 
years  and  Frederick  came  out  ahead  and  still  held 
Silesia.  He  also  added  other  territory  to  little 
Prussia.  The  present  Hohenzollern,  the  German 
Emperor,  is  of  the  family  of  Frederick  the  Great 
and  has  his  ambition  and  support  of  the  German 
people.  If  the  Allies  hope  to  crush  Germany  they 
must  not  look  for  the  war  to  close  at  an  early  date, 
and  the  United  States  has  bit  off  a  mighty  mouth- 
ful and  will  learn  something  before  this  war  is 
over.  The  Germans  are  as  loyal  to  their  emperor 
as  any  people  can  be.  They  believe  he  was 
appointed  by  God  to  rule  Germany  and  make  it  the 
ruling  nation  of  the  world.  We  hear  only  one  side 
of  affairs  now.  The  Germans  up  to  date  have  had 
remarkable  success.  When  the  history  of  this 
war  is  correctly  written  we  will  read  many  things 

to  surprise  us." 

*     *     #     *     * 

"  The  manifestation  of  human  weakness  only 
confirms  me  in  my  often-expressed  opinion  that 
there  is  a  limitation  to  all  human  strength,  talents 
and  even  virtues.  Nature  is  not  uniform  in  distrib- 
uting her  gifts.  When  she  makes  a  man  great,  or 
strong  in  this  or  that  line,  she  often  leaves  him 
deficient  in  other  respects,  like  Samson  with  his 
locks  clipped,  as  weak  as  other  men.  We  must  not 
remember  men  by  their  weaknesses,  but  by  their 
whole  life,  their  efforts  to  do  good  and  their  desires 


270  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

to  do  right.  So  David,  the  man  after  God's  own 
heart,  must  be  remembered,  not  by  his  fatal  weak- 
ness, but  by  his  strength,  especially  by  the  great 
book  of  the  Old  Testament  in  which  are  found  the 
beautiful  and  glorious  songs  of  the  '  sweet  singer 
of  Israel.'  It  would  seem  that  Jesus  recognized 
the  human  limitation  when  he  illustrated  a  great 
truth  by  the  story  of  the  talents,  and  when  he  said 
no  one  is  good  save  God.  So  when  we  think  of  the 
weakness  of  others  let  us  remember  the  good  in 
others." 

))t    $    $    $    $ 

"  Nov.  23,  1917. 

"  Personally  I  am  having  peace  and  joy.  I 
am  using  my  strongest  efforts  these  times  to  think 
no  evil  or  say  an  unkind  word  about  any  one.  God 
has  so  abundantly  blessed  me  and  I  have  so  much 
to  be  thankful  for.  From  the  very  depths  of  my 
heart  I  thank  him." 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

SERMONS 

FATHEE  MILLER  preached  from  outlines 
carefully  inserted  in  Ms  Bible.  One  of  Ms  fa- 
vorite themes  to  talk  about  was  love,  and  he 
often  used  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  First  Corin- 
tMans  as  a  text  for  his  addresses.  "  The  Marks  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  "  was  another  sermon  he  frequently 
used,  and  it  was  with  that  subject  that  he  closed 
his  last  series  of  meetings  at  Welsh  Kun  a  few 
weeks  before  his  death.  For  years  he  had  been  one 
of  the  best-liked  speakers  at  the  Conferences,  and 
some  idea  of  the  care  he  took  in  preparing  these 
addresses  can  be  gathered  from  the  one  on  "China." 
The  truth  of  the  Bible ;  a  belief  in  good  works, 
hope,  faith  and  love,  not  as  a  means  to  salvation, 
but  the  natural  growth  of  a  Christian  life,  the 
crowning  gift  of  which  is  redemption  through  Je- 
sus Christ;  and 'a  firm  conviction  that  primitive 
Christianity  was  the  only  true  expression  of 
Christ's  teachings  were  the  underlying  themes  of 
all  of  his  public  utterances.  The  greatest  sermon 
of  all  was  his  life,  for  he  literally  lived  Ms  teach- 
ings. As  one  friend  wrote  Mother  Miller  after  his 
death,  "  I  believe  that  Mr.  Miller  was  the  most 

271 


272  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

Christlike  man  I  have  ever  known/'  so  he  strove 
first  to  live  the  Christ  life,  and  then  taught  it. 

THE  MARKS  OF  THE  LORD  JESUS 
A  sermon  preached  by  Bishop  D.  L.  Miller  in 
the  Kailway  Library  at  Bulsar,  India,  Sunday 
evening,  Dec.  11, 1904,  from  the  text,  "  From  hence- 
forth let  no  man  trouble  me:  for  I  bear  in  my 
body  the  marks  of  the  Lord  Jesus."  This  is  copied 
as  reported  in  the  Bombay  Guardian,  issue  of  Jan. 
21,1905: 

"  Turning  to  the  Kevised  Version,  we  find  a 
change  in  the  language  of  the  apostle  which  makes 
the  figure  more  striking.  The  language  is, '  I  bear 
branded  on  my  body  the  marks  of  the  Lord  Jesus.' 
The  illustration  is  drawn  from  the  ancient  cus- 
tom of  branding  slaves.  The  master  of  slaves 
caused  his  initials,  or  symbol,  to  be  placed  upon 
an  iron,  and  this  was  heated  and  pressed  upon  the 
palm  of  the  hand  or  on  the  forehead,  and  thus  the 
owner's  name  was  branded  upon  the  body  of  the 
slave. 

"  From  this  custom  of  branding  we  have  the 
root  of  our  word  '  stigmatize,'  coming  from  the 
word  '  stigma.'  So  that  when  the  apostle  said  that 
he  bore  upon  his  body  the  marks  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
he  gave  the  idea  that  it  was  not  an  honorable  mark 
in  the  eyes  of  the  world.  This  thought  is  fully  in 
accord  with  what  he  says  in  another  place,  when 
referring  to  the  Christians, '  for  we  are  counted  as 
the  offscouring  of  the  earth.' 

"  Bearing  marks  on  the  body  is  frequently  re- 
ferred to  in  the  Bible.  In  the  book  of  Kevelation 


SERMONS  273 

we  are  told  the  time  will  come  when  Christians 
will  not  be  allowed  to  buy  or  sell  unless  they  bear 
the  mark  of  the  beast  in  the  forehead. 

"Among  the  Jews,  in  early  times,  it  was  cus- 
tomary to  mark  on  the  flesh  by  cutting  or  tattooing. 
The  Israelites  received  this  custom  from  their  as- 
sociation with  the  people  of  Egypt.  And  even  to 
this  day,  in  Nubia  and  Abyssinia,  many  of  the  peo- 
ple bear  great  scars  on  their  facers,  from  the  ancient 
custom  of  making  cuttings  in  the  flesh. 

"  This  had  become  so  common  that  when  Moses 
led  the  children  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt,  the  Lord 
gave  commandment  that  they  should  make  no  cut- 
ting in  the  flesh,  nor  print  any  marks  on  the  body. 
In  India  it  is  so  common  for  the  idol  worshiper  to 
bear  the  marks  of  the  idol  he  worships,  on  his 
forehead,  that  reference  to  it  need  scarcely  be 
made.  I  believe,  however,  as  in  the  days  of  the 
Israelites,  so  today,  all  such  markings  are  an 
abomination  in  the  sight  of  God. 

"  While  Paul  doubtless  referred  to  some  of  the 
physical  marks  he  bore,  we  are  to  look  deeper  than 
this  for  the  full  significance  of  the  text.  There  was 
no  question  but  that  his  body  was  scarred,  and  bore 
deep  marks  of  his  sufferings  for  the  cause  of  Christ. 
Five  times  was  he  beaten  with  forty  stripes  save 
one.  He  was  stoned  and  left  by  the  wayside  in  a 
condition  that  led  his  persecutors  to  believe  that 
he  was  dead.  And  he  could  not  have  passed  through 
these  sufferings  without  bearing  the  marks  upon 
his  body.  And  when  we  recall  to  mind  that  cruel 
instrument  of  torture,  the  Roman  scourge,  it  can 
easily  be  believed  that  he  bore  on  his  body  the 
same  marks  borne  by  our  Lord  Jesus. 


274  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MPLLER 

"  But  we  turn  from  the  physical  to  the  spirit- 
ual nature  of  man.  If  we  are  to  be  worthy  the 
name  of  Christians,  we  must  have  not  only  a  form 
of  godliness,  but  the  indwelling  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  We  must  have  branded  on  our  hearts  and 
souls  the  marks  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  And  in 
this  the  Christian  religion  commends  itself  as  be- 
ing better  than  all  other  religions  in  the  world. 
It  is  essentially  a  heart  religion.  It  takes  away  the 
evil  conscience,  purifies  the  soul  and  makes  clean 
the  heart.  While  other  so-called  religions  are  made 
up  largely  of  outward  forms,  of  image  worship,  of 
idol  ceremonies,  of  fasting  and  feasting  and  de- 
bauchery, the  religion  of  Christ  brings  all  the  appe- 
tites into  subjection  to  his  righteous  will. 

"  The  marks  of  the  world  and  of  sin  are  ap- 
parent on  every  hand.  The  man  who  indulges  in 
strong  drink,  who  has  fallen  into  the  vice  of  in- 
temperance, bears  branded  all  over  his  face  the 
marks  of  the  drunkard. 

"  The  licentious  man  bears  upon  his  face 
marks  of  his  impure  heart.  He  may  think  that  he 
can  hide  what  is  within,  but  sin  has  left  its  mark 
upon  his  face,  and  he  can  never  approach  a  pure, 
virtuous  man  or  woman  without  detection.  And  so 
crime  of  every  kind  leaves  its  sure  mark  upon  those 
who  engage  in  it. 

"  While  sin  leaves  its  mark  upon  its  victims, 
righteousness,  holiness,  and  godliness  also  stamp 
themselves  upon  the  features  of  the  true  followers 
of  Christ.  And  O  my  Christian  brethren,  I  would 
that  we  were  branded  for  Christ,  for  we  are  not 
our  own,  we  are  bought  with  a  price,  even  the 
precious  blood  of  the  Son  of  God ! 


SERMONS  275 

"  These  brands  upon  us  and  these  marks  we 
bear  are  to  be  so  distinct  that  we  may  be  known  as 
Christians  wherever  we  are,  '  For  ye  are  my  epis- 
tles known  and  read  of  all  men.'  'And  they  took 
knowledge  of  them  that  they  had  been  with  Christ.' 
*  Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men  that  they  may 
see  your  good  works,  and  glorify  your  Father  which 
is  in  heaven.' 

"  The  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  is  not  like  a  gar- 
ment, that  you  can  lay  off  and  put  on  at  pleasure ; 
not  like  your  best  coat,  kept  for  special  occasions, 
which,  for  example,  is  worn  to  church  on  the  Lord's 
Day,  and  in  the  evening  taken  off,  brushed  up,  and 
laid  aside  until  the  next  Lord's  Day.  The  religion 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  is  so  deeply  branded  on  the  body 
and  into  the  heart  that  we  wear  it  every  hour  of 
every  day  of  every  week  of  every  month  of  every 
year,  of  all  the  days  and  weeks  and  months  and 
years  that  God  shall  give  us  to  live  in  this  world. 

"  One  of  the  special  marks  to  be  deeply 
branded  upon  the  heart  is  the  Love  Mark. 

"  This  mark  is  the  real  test  of  discipleship  in 
Christ.  '  By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are 
my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  for  another.' 

"  There  is  nothing  whatever  in  mere  name. 
Christ  did  not  say,  '  If  ye  have  been  baptized,' '  If 
ye  have  your  name  written  on  a  church  book,'  '  If 
ye  have  washed  the  saints'  feet,' '  If  ye  salute  your 
brethren,'  '  If  you  make  long  prayers,'  '  If  ye  fast 
often,'  that i  by  these  signs  shall  men  know  that  ye 
are  my  disciples.'  But  he  did  say,  '  If  ye  love  one 
another  all  men  shall  know  that  ye  are  my  dis- 
ciples,' his  brethren  and  his  sisters. 

"  Love  places  the  employer  and  the  employed 


276  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

on  the  same  common  level,  each  interested  in  the 
welfare  of  the  other.  The  same  relation  that  ex- 
isted between  Boaz  and  his  reapers  will  exist  be- 
tween every  employer  and  employee  who  has  the 
love  of  God  in  his  heart.  'And  behold,  Boaz  came 
from  Bethlehem  and  said  unto  the  reapers,  "  The 
Lord  be  with  you,"  and  they  answered  him,  "  The 
Lord  bless  thee."  Beloved,  I  want  to  say  to  you 
in  this  country  that  the  employer  who  enjoys  at- 
tending services  on  the  Lord's  Day,  having  the  love 
of  God  in  his  heart,  will  not  fail  to  see  to  it  that 
his  servant  has  a  chance  to  attend  services,  too, 
that  day,  if  he  wants  to. 

"  When  the  Pharisees  came  to  Christ  and 
asked  him  which  is  the  first  commandment,  his  re- 
ply showed  the  high  estimate  he  placed  upon  love : 
'  Hear,  O  Israel ;  the  Lord,  our  God,  is  one  Lord : 
and  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy 
heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind, 
and  with  all  thy  strength:  this  is  the  first  com- 
mandment.' 

"  Logically  following  the  love  mark  is  that  of 
obedience.  If  we  are  branded  for  Christ,  if  we 
bear  in  our  hearts  the  marks  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
if  we  love  God  with  all  the  mind,  heart,  soul  and 
strength,  our  greatest  joy  will  be  in  doing  the 
things  that  he  has  told  us.  '  If  ye  love  me,  ye  will 
keep  my  sayings.' 

"  Between  the  child  of  God  and  his  Creator 
there  can  be  no  argument  or  contest  as  to  the 
things  that  God  has  told  him  to  do.  Whenever  the 
creature  disputes  with  God,  he  sets  himself,  the 
ego,  the  '  I,'  above  God,  and  thus  becomes  a  self- 
worshiper  and  is  guilty  of  idolatry.  So  it  was 


SERMONS  277 

with  Saul  when  he  presumed  to  set  aside  the  com- 
mandment of  God  and  walk  according  to  his  own 
wisdom.  The  prophet  Samuel  rebuked  him  most 
severely  in  these  remarkable  words :  '  Behold,  to 
obey  is  better  than  sacrifice,  and  to  hearken  than 
the  fat  of  rams.  For  rebellion  is  as  the  sin  of 
witchcraft,  and  stubbornness  as  iniquity  and  idol- 
atry.' 

"  So  with  the  child  of  God  who  bears  the  marks 
of  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  love  mark  and  the  obedience 
mark,  he  will  be  found  joyfully  and  gladly  obeying 
everything  that  the  Lord  has  told  him  to  do,  and 
refraining  from  those  things  that  he  has  been  told 
not  to  do.  i  Love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that 
curse  you,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray 
for  them  that  despitefully  use  you  and  persecute 
you.  Swear  not  at  all,  neither  by  heaven  nor  by 
earth,  nor  by  any  other  oath.'  If  all  professing 
Christians  had  the  love  and  obedience  marks  so 
branded  on  their  hearts  that  they  would  refuse  to 
take  up  arms,  go  to  war  and  kill  other  men,  who  are 
just  as  good  as  they  are,  wars  would  cease  upon  the 
earth,  and  we  would  not  need  to  witness  today  a 
great  Christian  nation,  instead  of  taking  the  Gos- 
pel of  Peace  to  a  heathen  nation,  trying  to  crush 
them  by  the  strength  of  arms. 

"  O  Christian  men,  O  you  who  uphold  the  Gos- 
pel of  love  and  mercy  and  kindness,  O  you  who 
lack  no  sympathy  with  the  society  for  the  preven- 
tion of  cruelty  to  animals,  let  us  take  our  stand 
firmly  against  the  horrible  cruelties,  the  carnage, 
the  bloodshed  and  the  murder  of  modern  warfare ! 
The  most  effective  protest  the  individual  can  make 
against  war  is  that  he  himself  shall  in  no  wise 
become  partner  in  the  crime. 


278  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

"Worldly  societies  have  their  marks — the 
three  links  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  the  square  and  com- 
pass of  the  Masons,  the  bronze  button  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Kepublic.  Why  should  not  Christians 
also  be  known  by  their  simplicity  in  life  and  dress, 
by  the  absence  of  the  cold  formalities  of  society, 
and  by  a  distaste  for  all  those  things  that  are  most 
highly  esteemed  among  the  pleasure  seekers  of 
the  world? 

"A  third  mark  that  every  Christian  should 
have  is  that  of  witnessing  for  Christ.  This  is  not 
the  duty  of  the  preacher  only,  but  of  every  mem- 
ber of  the  body  of  Christ.  '  Ye  are  my  witnesses.' 
The  rapid  spread  of  the  Gospel  in  apostolic  days 
was  not  the  immediate  result  of  the  preaching  of 
the  apostles,  but  it  did  result  from  the  fact  that 
those  who  were  scattered  abroad  in  all  parts  of 
the  Orient  went  everywhere,  bearing  witness  for 
Christ.  The  strongest  preacher  in  the  world  is  the 
humble  Christian  who  settles  down  in  a  commun- 
ity, labors  with  his  own  hands  and  lives  the  Christ 
life,  showing  to  his  fellows  that  he  has  the  love 
mark  and  the  obedience  mark  and  the  witness  mark 
branded  on  his  heart.  A  thousandfold  stronger 
and  more  eloquent  are  his  sermons  hour  by  hour 
and  day  by  day  than  the  orations  of  the  worldly- 
minded  preacher  whose  life  is  very  often  out  of 
harmony  with  his  teaching ! 

"  If  the  Christian  people  of  all  ranks,  who  are 
domiciled  in  India,  were  to  take  up  the  gospel  story 
as  did  the  Christians  of  the  early  centuries,  and 
tell  it  to  their  fellow-men  because  they  believe  it  is 
the  truth  of  God,  the  wonderful  story  of  how  India 
became  Christian  would,  in  a  very  few  years,  chal- 


SERMONS  279 

lenge  the  admiration  of  the  world !  This  is  a  great 
opportunity  standing  knocking  at  your  doors! 

"  The  man  of  God  who  bears  these  marks  about 
him  will  be  humble  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word. 
He  will  not  be  so  much  concerned  as  to  the  place  he 
occupies  in  life,  or  to  the  publicity  given  to  the 
acts  of  his  life,  as  he  will  be  about  loving  his  fellow- 
men,  obeying  Christ,  and  bearing  witness  for  him. 
"  I  am  not  concerned  for  reputation,  as  men  say, 

My  business  is  to  please  him  day  by  day. 
I've  no  desire  to  be  'mong  men  one  widely  known, 

I  seek  to  worthy  stand  before  his  throne." 

ADDRESS  ON  CHINA 

"  China  is  one  of  the  most  densely-populated 
countries  in  the  world.  There  are  millions  and 
millions  of  people  there  who  have  never  heard  the 
Gospel,  and  we  want  to  send  missionaries  to  tell 
them  the  glad  tidings  of  the  Gospel.  You  have 
heard  that  they  were  killing  missionaries.  You 
have  heard  that  they  were  massacring  the  foreign- 
ers, and  it  has  been  a  surprise  to  me  since  I  have 
been  there  and  learned  the  conditions,  learned  the 
history  of  the  country,  the  dealings  of  the  so-called 
Christian  nations  with  them — I  will  not  say  Chris- 
tian nations — I  will  modify  that  by  saying  the  so- 
called  Christian  nations — it  is  a  surprise  to  me 
that  they  would  allow  missionaries  to  land  in  their 
country.  And  the  reason  I  make  this  statement  I 
will  give  to  you. 

"  You  have  heard  something  of  the  opium  war. 
In  1834  the  English  Government  took  over  the 
East  India  Company  and  assumed  entire  control 
of  India.  Prior  to  this  time  the  East  India  Com- 
pany, finding  an  excellent  field  for  the  growth  of 


280  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

the  poppy  and  the  manufacture  of  opium,  started 
its  cultivation  along  the  Ganges.  And  in  order  to 
make  a  market  for  it — you  know  it  does  not  make 
much  difference  how  much  corn  you  raise,  if  you 
cannot  sell  it — in  order  to  get  a  market,  they  sent 
a  cargo  to  China  and  distributed  it  free  among  the 
people,  in  order  to  create  an  appetite  for  its  use 
and  thus  create  a  market  for  it :  very  much  like  the 
manufacture  of  cigarets  in  this  country.  They  put 
a  little  bit  of  opium  into  the  cigarets  so  as  to  cre- 
ate an  appetite  for  the  tobacco  and  opium  together. 
So  when  the  East  India  Company  found  its  opium 
business  started,  they  found  that  there  was  consid- 
erable revenue  accruing  to  the  government  annual- 
ly. The  Chinese  emperor — a  heathen,  understand 
me — the  Chinese  emperor,  a  heathen,  protested  to 
the  head  of  the  English  church,  the  queen  of  Eng- 
land, a  Christian,  and  protested  against  the  send- 
ing of  opium  into  his  country.  He  said: 

" i  You  are  sending  something  that  destroys 
the  soul  and  body  of  the  people  of  my  country  and  I 
want  to  protect  them  from  it.7 

"  But  the  English  did  not  listen,  did  not  take 
any  account  of  that.  The  plea  was  that '  we  have 
got  to  have  money  to  run  the  government ' ;  just  as 
our  city  fathers  will  tell  you  that  we  have  to  have 
money  from  saloon  licenses  to  run  the  city.  And  so 
it  was  there. 

"  The  Chinese  emperor  said  to  his  people  that 
all  of  them  found  smoking  opium  or  using  it  in  any 
way  would  have  to  be  put  to  death,  and  he  took  a 
number  of  them  down  before  the  opium  manufac- 
turer of  Canton  and  had  them  beheaded.  This  didn't 
stop  it.  Then  he  sent  his  officers  to  Canton  to  the 


SERMONS  281 

British  factory,  and  they  seized  21,000  chests  of  opi- 
um, worth  about  $6,000,000.  They  dug  two  long 
trenches  out  by  the  river  side,  threw  a  lot  of  un- 
slacked  lime  on  the  opium  and  poured  water  on 
it  and  absolutely  destroyed  it.  That  opium  never 
hurt  anybody  after  that. 

"  But  the  Chinaman  had  to  pay  the  bill.  Eng- 
land sent  over  three  warships,  which  bombarded 
Canton  and  killed  two  or  three  thousand  China- 
men. A  few  Englishmen  were  killed.  It  was  like 
a  brutal  giant  going  in  with  a  club  and  killing  a  lot 
of  children.  The  Chinese  are  peaceable.  They 
didn't  know  anything  about  war  and  don't  know  it 
yet.  The  result  of  that  wholesale  murder — for  I 
can  call  it  nothing  else — was  that  the  Chinese  sued 
for  peace  and  a  treaty  was  made.  The  English 
Government  demanded  of  China  $21,000,000  as  an 
indemnity  and  the  opening  of  five  ports,  Canton, 
Hongkong,  Amoy,  Fuchau  and  Shanghai  for  the 
introduction  of  opium,  and  also  took  from  China 
the  island  of  Hongkong,  where  the  city  of  Hong- 
kong now  stands. 

"  When  the  commissioners  met  to  determine 
the  treaty  of  peace,  the  Chinamen  said  to  the  Eng- 
ishmen, '  Now  can't  you  deal  fairly  with  us?  Can't 
you  stop  growing  poppies  and  shipping  this  stuff 
here?'  The  Englishmen  said,  i  You  teach  your 
people  to  be  virtuous  and  stop  using  opium  and  we 
will  stop  shipping  it  to  you.'  That  is  the  only  re- 
ply they  ever  got.  The  result  was  that  opium  was 
introduced  into  China,  until  there  are  tens  of 
thousands  of  Chinamen  who  are  smoking  them- 
selves into  insensibility,  and  we  talk  of  them  as 
being  a  low  people  because  of  that.  But  is  it  not 


282  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

a  fact  that  the  white  men — and  I  am  ashamed  to 
know  that  I  am  a  white  man  when  I  say  these 
things — is  it  not  a  fact,  in  the  treatment  of  those 
people  by  a  Christian  nation,  that  there  has  been 
placed  on  the  escutcheon  of  civilization  one  of  the 
darkest  blots  it  bears  today? 

"  Then  followed  the  wars  of  1860  and  1900, 
the  German  Emperor  taking  a  slice  of  the  Chinese 
Empire,  and  the  French  people  taking  another, 
and  the  English  another  and  the  Kussian  another, 
robbing  and  stealing  from  them. 

"And  remember,  now,  the  main  point,  that  the 
Chinamen  could  not  differentiate  between  the  mis- 
sionary who  comes  from  England,  comes  from  the 
country  whose  people  did  this  kind  of  thing,  and 
the  missionary  who  comes  from  America.  The 
Chinamen  says  to  both  of  them.  '  You  are  a  propa- 
gandist of  political  teaching,  and  we  do  not  want 
you  here.'  I  am  not  surprised  that  conditions  are 
as  they  are,  and  that  there  is  this  prejudice  against 
the  missionary. 

"  Can  we  open  a  church  there?  I  wish  we  could 
have  uncovered  our  peace  principles  long  ago.  I 
wish  the  world  knew  that  there  was  a  people  will- 
ing to  go  to  China  today  who  would  say,  i  We  are 
not  after  your  money  or  your  territory,  and  we  do 
not  want  to  subvert  your  government;  but  as 
peaceable,  loving  citizens  of  the  kingdom  of  God, 
we  come  to  bring  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  to  you. 
And  so  long  as  your  government  does  not  ask  us 
to  do  anything  contrary  to  the  teaching  of  Christ, 
we  will  obey  all  of  your  laws.  We  are  not  men  of 
war.  We  do  not  fight.'  I  believe  if  we  can  me- 
morialize the  Chinese  Government  and  let  them 


SERMONS  283 

know  our  peace  principles,  we  can  go  to  China  and 
receive  a  welcome  there. 

"  Before  the  Tartar  invasion  of  China,  up  un- 
til the  opium  war,  the  Chinese  had  no  war.  Just 
think  of  it!  Two  hundred  years  without  war! 
They  are  a  kindly,  peaceable  people  who  know  noth- 
ing about  fighting.  If  they  had  been  left  alone, 
there  would  have  been  no  war  in  China  until  this 
day.  Our  Missionary  Committee  has  decided  to 
make  an  effort  to  open  a  mission  in  China.  But 
first  it  will  memorialize  the  Chinese  Government. 
It  will  set  forth  that  we  are  not  political  propa- 
gandists, but  religious  teachers,  teaching  the  peace- 
ful religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  then  it  will  proper- 
ly organize  a  mission  band  with  a  good,  strong 
leader  and  a  medical  man  and  send  them  to  start 
the  mission.  It  may  take  a  year  or  two,  but  we 
ought  to  proceed  along  lines  that  will  insure  the 
greatest  possible  results  in  the  end. 

"Another  thing  about  the  Chinese :  they  have 
a  very  old  civilization.  When  our  grandfathers, 
and  great-grandfathers,  and  great-great-grandfa- 
thers, going  back  eleven  centuries,  were  living  in 
caves  and  dens  in  northern  Europe  and  clothing 
themselves  with  the  skins  of  wild  animals,  the  Chi- 
nese were  manufacturing  silks  and  wearing  them 
in  China.  Long  before  we  knew  anything  about 
clocks,  they  had  clocks  in  China.  Long  before  Gu- 
tenberg invented  movable  type,  the  Chinese  had 
movable  type  and  printed  with  it.  They  invented 
gunpowder,  and  two  thousand  years  ago  made 
glass  vases.  Solomon  said,  '  Do  not  look  upon 
wine  when  it  is  red  in  the  glass.'  We  say  red  in 
the  cup.  And  Voltaire  said  that  the  Bible  was  not 


284  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

true  because  glass  had  not  been  invented  when  the 
Bible  was  written.  Don't  you  know  that  vases 
were  made  in  glass  and  cups  were  made  in  glass  in 
China  more  than  one  thousand  years  before  that 
word  was  put  into  the  Bible? 

"  They  are  a  remarkable  people  and  very  con- 
servative— exceedingly  conservative.  The  reason 
for  that  is  that  they  reverence  their  parents.  If 
there  is  a  people  on  earth  who  live  up  to  the  fifth 
commandment,  which  bids  us  to  honor  our  father 
and  mother,  the  Chinese  are  that  people.  They 
not  only  reverence  their  parents  living,  but  dead. 
When  a  Chinaman  dies  and  has  a  large  estate,  it 
is  divided  among  his  sons.  If  he  dies  and  has  a 
large  number  of  debts,  the  payment  is  divided 
among  his  sons  and  the  sons  see  that  those  debts 
are  paid.  Think  of  that  a  moment,  and  think  about 
the  lessons  we  might  learn  from  that,  the  lesson 
that  Jesus  Christ  gave  when  the  question  of  in- 
heritance came  up.  There  has  been  more  trouble 
made  in  the  world  about  inheritance  than  anything 
else.  These  people  not  only  divide  the  inheritance, 
but  divide  the  father's  debts  and  see  that  they  are 
paid.  They  do  not  want  a  stain  to  rest  on  the  fa- 
ther's memory  after  he  is  dead  and  gone.  These 
people  have  these  principles  founded  well  in  them, 
and  I  believe  they  would  make  very  good  brethren 
and  sisters.  They  are  exceedingly  conservative 
because  they  say  i  Father  did  it  this  way,  and  I  do 
not  want  it  changed  from  that.'  That  is  their  be- 
lief. 

"  I  saw  them  weaving  silk  at  Canton  with  an 
old-fashioned  loom  that  had  been  used  in  Canton 
two  thousand  years  ago  and  it  had  not  changed. 


SERMONS  285 

See  one  of  them  coming  to  this  country  with  his 
queue,  his  l  pig-tail '  as  it  is  called.  You  can  offer  no 
greater  insult  to  a  Chinaman  than  to  cut  off  his 
queue.  If  you  did,  he  would  do  as  David  did  with 
the  men  who  went  over  to  the  enemy.  David  sent 
word  that  they  should  remain  at  Jericho  until  their 
beards  were  grown  again.  The  Chinaman  will  re- 
main in  seclusion  until  his  hair  has  grown  the  prop- 
er length. 

"  I  was  very  much  interested  not  only  in  their 
silk  weaving  but  their  carving  and  industries  of 
different  kinds.  I  will  give  you  an  illustration. 
They  take  a  ball  of  ivory,  which  is  perfectly  round 
and  perfectly  smooth.  Ivory  is  the  hardest  bony 
substance  in  the  world.  I  saw  an  ivory  ball  of  that 
kind  which  had  carved  out  inside  of  it  another  ball 
of  lesser  size,  and  then  another  inside  of  that,  and 
another  inside  of  that  until  there  were  twenty-one 
balls  carved  out  of  one  piece  of  ivory.  I  used  to  do 
a  little  carving  in  soft  wood  when  I  was  a  boy,  and 
I  thought  I  did  a  great  thing  when  I  carved  out  of 
a  piece  of  pine  two  links  and  a  swivel  and  one  ball 
inside,  but  I  shall  have  to  give  all  of  that  up  after 
seeing  what  a  Chinaman  did.  They  carve  ivory 
in  the  finest  possible  shape.  I  say  this  to  show  how 
bright  they  are. 

"  In  San  Francisco,  and  all  over  Cali- 
fornia, you  will  notice  that  the  vegetable 
markets  are  in  their  hands.  You  do  not 
find  a  Chinaman  in  jail  or  in  any  riots,  but  they 
tend  strictly  to  business.  A  Chinaman  is  a  vegeta- 
ble raiser  and  seller.  I  do  not  wonder  at  that  after 
seeing  the  vegetables  raised  in  China.  I  think  of 
all  the  places  in  the  world  I  saw  the  finest  vegeta- 
bles raised  in  China. 


286  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

"And  as  to  their  reception  of  travelers,  they 
told  me  when  I  went  to  Canton  I  must  be  very  care- 
ful because  there  was  a  good  deal  of  disturbance. 
I  did  not  want  to  get  into  any  disturbance.  I  be- 
lieve in  peace  and  I  am  awful  sorry  that  we  have 
lighted  our  candle,  and  instead  of  letting  it  shine 
over  the  world,  as  we  might  have  done,  we  have 
covered  it  under  a  bushel.  We  did  that  at  Harris- 
burg.  We  came  near  memorializing  the  government 
and  telling  them  about  our  peace  principles,  but 
some  of  the  brethren  thought  that  it  was  not  the 
best  thing  to  do. 

"  Now  I  will  tell  you  how  I  was  treated  in 
Canton.  I  got  in  a  chair.  That  is  the  only  way 
to  go  through  the  city.  It  would  be  safe,  but  it 
would  not  be  wise  to  try  and  thread  your  way 
through  Canton.  I  got  into  the  chair  and  two 
men  carried  it.  It  was  swung  between  two  bam- 
boo poles  and  their  ends  placed  upon  the  shoul- 
ders of  two  men,  and  in  that  way  was  carried 
through  the  city.  We  had  not  gone  far  before  they 
said, 

" '  Melican  man  too  much  heavy :  must  have 
another  coolie.' 

"  They  thought  I  was  too  big,  and  then  they 
got  another  man.  And  then  pretty  soon  they  said 
they  must  have  another  man.  So  they  got  four 
men  to  carry  me  through  the  city.  We  went  through 
the  crowded  city.  It  was  a  perfect  jam  wherever 
I  went,  and  I  never  had  the  slightest  discourtesy 
shown  me. 

"After  we  got  through  I  went  to  the  execution 
grounds  and  to  the  temple  and  to  the  ivory  carvers, 
and  then  went  into  the  silk  shops  and  saw  them 


SERMONS  287 

weaving  with  the  old-fashioned  looms  used  by  their 
ancestors  before  them  for  two  thousand  years.  And 
after  getting  through,  I  dismissed  the  guide  and 
had  the  four  men  carry  me  back  to  the  hotel  alone, 
and  they  never  offered  me  the  slightest  discour- 
tesy. If  they  had  not  been  disturbed  and  robbed 
and  killed,  I  believe  that  with  our  Bible  principles 
we  could  go  in  there  and  get  thousands  of  those 
people  converted  to  Christ,  and  I  believe  we  will 
do  it  anyway.  I  have  faith  enough  to  believe  it 
will  be  so  ordered,  because  the  world  is  coming  to 
our  notions  on  this  peace  question.  The  Brethren 
have  held  it  for  years.  We  held  out  against  slav- 
ery until  the  world  came  to  our  side.  We  have  held 
out  against  intemperance.  We  are  the  oldest  tem- 
perance society  today  in  the  world.  I  believe  God 
Almighty  will  bring  the  world  around  to  our  side 
on  the  peace  question.  When  these  brethren  and 
sisters  go  to  China  and  work  patiently  and  teach 
the  true  principle,  showing  that  we  are  Christians, 
not  only  in  name  but  in  fact,  and  that  we  carry  out 
every  principle  of  the  Gospel,  when  we  can  reach 
them  and  touch  them  in  this  way,  I  say  that  I  have 
faith  to  believe  that  in  the  years  to  come  we  will 
have  just  as  many  Christians  in  China  as  in  the 
United  States/' 

LIGHT  AND  HEARING 

" i  Ye  are  all  the  children  of  light,  and  the 
children  of  the  day.  We  are  not  of  the  night,  nor 
of  darkness  '  (1  Thess.  5:5). 

"  *  Let  every  man  be  swift  to  hear  and  slow  to 
speak  '  (James  1 :  19) . 

"  The  Christian  is  the  light  of  the  world.  And 
Christ  says,  '  Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men 


288  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

that  they  may  behold  your  good  works,'  and  be  in- 
duced to  turn  to  Christ.  If  you  are  in  the  light  and 
the  light  is  in  you,  you  don't  have  to  ask  the  church 
council  whether  you  are  spiritually  minded,  nor 
the  deacons  whether  you  are  growing  worldly. 
'  If  the  light  that  is  in  you  be  darkness,  how  great 
is  that  darkness ! ' 

"An  old  Oriental  proverb  says  there  are  four 
kinds  of  hearers — the  sponge,  the  funnel,  the  filter 
and  the  sieve.  The  sponge  absorbs  all  and  gives 
out  none.  These  receive  the  light  but  give  out  no 
light.  These  are  they  in  whom  the  light  is  dark- 
ness. 

"  I  read  that  once  upon  a  time  came  three 
men  to  the  Lord  of  the  Great  White  Fire  asking 
for  the  light.  '  Take  it  and  use  it,'  said  the  Lord  of 
the  Fire,  and  the  men  went  on  their  way  rejoicing. 
One  found  his  way  to  a  dark  valley,  surrounded  by 
great,  slimy,  gloomy  walls,  where  thousands  of 
men  and  women  groped  in  darkness  and  were  un- 
able to  find  their  way  to  the  light.  Then  the  man 
took  a  bit  of  the  great  white  fire  which  the  Lord  of 
the  Light  had  given  him,  and  lighted  a  great  torch, 
and  led  the  men  and  women  out  of  the  darkness  in- 
to the  light. 

"Another  went  out  upon  a  great,  cold,  dreary 
plain,  swept  by  the  winter  winds,  where  men  and 
women  were  wet  and  cold  and  freezing  to  death. 
And  he  lighted  a  great  fire  and  warmed  them 
to  life  again.  And  there  was  rejoicing  and  happi- 
ness and  he  led  them  into  the  way. 

"And  the  third  one  said,  *  I  will  hide  the  fire 
in  my  heart.  I  will  hide  it  away  from  the  cold 


SERMONS  289 

blasts  of  the  winter  winds,  where  it  will  never  be 
harmed  and  never  go  out/ 

"  Then  came  three  men  to  the  entrance  of 
the  way  where  the  Lord  of  the  Great  White  Fire 
met  them.  And  he  said,  '  What  of  the  fire?'  And 
the  first  one  said, '  I  went  into  a  great,  deep,  dark 
valley  surrounded  by  slimy  walls,  where  there  were 
numbers  of  men  and  women  groping  in  the  dark- 
ness, and  I  kindled  a  torch  and  led  them  into  the 
light.'  And  the  Lord  said, '  It  is  well.  That  light  is 
the  light  of  eternal  life  and  it  shall  never  go  out.' 

"And  the  second  one  said,  '  I  went  out  on  a 
cold,  dismal  plain,  where  men  and  women  were 
freezing  to  death,  and  I  kindled  a  great  fire,  and 
they  were  warmed  again  into  life,  and  went  on 
their  way  rejoicing.'  And  the  Lord  of  the  Light 
said,  '  It  is  well.  The  fire  you  kindled  is  the  fire  of 
human  kindness  and  it  shall*never  be  extinguished.' 

"And  the  third  one  said,  '  I  hid  the  fire  in  my 
heart,  where  storms  and  winds  could  not  affect  it, 
and  it  would  not  go  out.'  And  the  Lord  touched  the 
man's  heart,  and  behold  it  opened  and  there  was  a 
little  black  coal  and  a  few  white  ashes.  Christian, 
so  let  your  light  shine,  that  men  may  know  that 
you  have  been  with  Christ  and  learned  of  him. 

"  Then  there  are  hearers  who  are  like  the  fun- 
nel. They  take  it  in  at -one  ear  and  let  it  out  at 
the  other.  Everything  that  a  funnel  takes  in  runs 
out  at  the  other  end.  And  so  it  is  with  some  men 
when  they  hear  the  Word  of  God.  Once  a  preacher 
preached  a  great  heart-searching  sermon.  He  did 
not  generalize,  but  he  touched  upon  personal  weak- 
nesses and  personal  sins.  The  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  was  upon  him  and  many  who  heard  him  were 


290  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

touched  to  the  heart.  There  were  in  the  congrega- 
tion three  men.  James  looked  over  where  William 
was  sitting  and  said  to  himself,  i  I  wonder  if  Wil- 
liam is  getting  anything  out  of  this  sermon.  It 
fits  him  exactly  and  I  hope  he  is  getting  it.'  And 
William  looked  over  at  James  and  said, '  I  wonder 
how  it  is  with  James.  He  surely  needs  this  ser- 
mon, and  I  am  afraid  he  doesn't  get  out  of  it  what 
he  should.'  And  John  sitting  back  in  a  corner 
said,  i  I  wonder  if  those  two  old  sinners  up  there 
are  getting  out  of  this  sermon  what  they  ought  to 
have.  They  surely  need  it  bad  enough.'  There  was 
a  little  saint  in  the  audience  down  whose  cheeks  the 
tears  were  streaming,  because  of  her  weaknesses, 
and  she  went  home  and  cast  herself  down  by  the 
side  of  the  bed  on  her  knees  and  said,  '  God  help 
me.  God  help  me  that  I  live  a  better  life.'  The 
three  men  were  funnel  hearers.  All  they  heard 
they  let  go  through  their  ears  to  some  one  else. 

"  Then  the  third  class  of  hearers  are  like  the 
filter — let  out  all  the  pure  water  and  keep  back  the 
filth.  These  are  the  critics.  They  will  say, '  Well, 
now,  that  preacher  preached  a  right  good  sermon, 
but  his  gestures  were  not  right.  He  had  his  hands 
in  his  pockets.  He  didn't  seem  to  know  where  to 
put  his  hands.  He  made  mistakes  in  grammar.  He 
used  a  pronoun  when  he  should  not  have  used  it. 
He  said  many  good  things  but— '  and  the  '  but ' 
goes  down  your  back  like  an  icicle,  making  you 
shiver — i  he  repeated  his  text  too  often.'  Or  per- 
haps he  did  not  repeat  it  often  enough.  The  preach- 
er said  a  great  many  good  things,  but  the  people 
got  only  the  mistakes  he  made,  and  the  things  he 
didn't  say  quite  right. 


SERMONS  291 

"And  the  fourth  are  like  the  sieve.  They  put 
the  wheat  and  the  dust  into  the  sieve,  and  shake  it, 
and  the  dust  and  filth  fall  through  and  good  wheat 
remains. 

"  We  should  be  swift  to  hear  and  slow  to  speak. 
I  have  never  myself  repented  of  taking  plenty  of 
time  to  think  over  a  proposition  before  I  spoke. 
Many  times  I  have  repented  too  hasty  speech. 

"  If  you  are  tempted  to  reveal 

A  tale  some  one  has  told 
About  another,  make  it  pass 

Before  you  speak,  three  gates  of  gold — 
Three  narrow  gates.    First,  is  it  true? 

Then,  is  it  needful?    In  your  mind 
Give  truthful  answer.    And  the  next 

Is  last  and  narrowest.    Is  it  kind? 
And  if,  to  reach  your  lips  at  last, 

It  passes  through  these  gateways  three, 
Then  you  may  tell  the  tale,  nor  fear 

What  the  result  of  speech  may  be." 

LOVE 

Sermon  delivered  by  D.  L.  Miller,  March  22, 
1903,  Elgin,  Illinois : 

"  I  call  your  attention  this  morning,  beloved,  to 
the  13th  chapter  of  1  Corinthians.  The  subject  un- 
der consideration  is  Love.  And  whilst  I  may  speak 
to  you  as  God  gives  me  ability,  I  ask  an  interest  in 
your  prayers.  And  let  me  say,  dear  breth- 
ren and  sisters  and  Christian  friends,  that  I  do  not 
make  this  request  as  a  matter  of  form,  but  I 
mean  that  I  would  like  to  have  the  prayers  of 
every  Christian  person  in  this  house  this  morning, 
that  this  hour's  service  may  be  for  our  good  and 


292  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

the  honor  and  glory  of  God.  I  believe  I  have  a  right 
to  ask  this.  I  have  a  strong  faith  in  the  earnest 
and  fervent  prayer  of  the  Christian  man  or  woman, 
and  I  believe  I  have  this  class  here  before  me  this 
morning,  and  I  ask  you  to  pray  for  me  while  I 
talk  to  you. 

"  I  think  it  is  generally  considered  that  the 
chapter  read  is  one  of  the  fullest  and  most  complete 
in  the  New  Testament.  There  are  only  thirteen 
verses  in  the  chapter,  and  yet  for  fullness  of  expres- 
sion and  beauty  of  thought,  outside  of  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount  there  is  not  another  scripture  equal 
to  it. 

"  In  the  preceding  chapter  the  apostle  spoke  of 
the  gift  of  healing,  of  prophecy,  teachers  and  work- 
ers of  miracles,  and  at  the  close  of  the  chapter  he 
tells  us  that  we  should  covet  the  best  gifts ;  but  he 
says, '  Yet  I  show  you  a  more  excellent  way.'  Here 
he  has  reference  to  the  love  of  God.  Of  course  you 
will  understand  that  in  the  revised  version  this 
world  '  charity '  is  translated  ( love,'  and  that  is 
the  correct  meaning.  I  am  told  that  in  ancient  lan- 
guages there  are  several  words  expressing  the 
meaning  of  love,  but  in  our  language  we  only  have 
one '  love.' 

"  We  speak  about  the  love  of  a  wife  for  a  hus- 
band or  a  husband  for  a  wife,  a  parent's  love  for 
his  child,  God's  love  for  Christ  and  Christ's  love  for 
humanity.  It  is  this  love,  my  Christian  friends, 
that  we  are  to  look  at  this  morning — the  love  of 
God  for  humanity.  In  order  to  show  the  impor- 
tance of  this  love,  the  apostle  speaks  of  it  by  draw- 
ing contrasts.  You  remember  when  Christ  was  in 


SERMONS  293 

the  temple  how  the  poor  woman  came  and  cast  in 
her  two  mites  in  the  collection  box  of  Jesus,  draw- 
ing the  striking  contrast  between  what  she  gave 
and  what  the  rich  people  gave. 

"  In  the  first  verse  of  this  chapter,  the  apostle 
talks  about  eloquence.  He  says,  '  Though  I  speak 
with  the  tongues  of  men  and  of  angels  and  have  not 
charity,  I. am  become  as  a  sounding  brass  and  a 
tinkling  cymbal.'  In  other  words,  he  would  say 
that  '  though  I  have  the  gift  of  eloquence,  and  I 
might  be  able  to  move  multitudes  by  it,  and  I  might 
have  the  silver  tongues  of  angels,  but  if  I  did  not 
have  the  love  of  God  in  my  heart,  I  am  become  as 
a  hollow  and  empty  sound.'  So  you  can  see  the  con- 
trast he  draws  here  between  love  and  eloquence. 

"  Then  he  goes  farther  and  draws  a  contrast 
between  love  and  prophecy.  He  shows  how  I  might 
have  power  to  unveil  the  future  and  lay  before  you 
things  that  will  come  to  pass  in  the  future,  yet  if 
I  do  not  have  in  my  heart  the  love  of  God,  it  profit- 
eth  me  nothing.  And  then  knowledge.  You  know 
the  effort  we  are  making  in  this  day  and  age  of  the 
world  to  build  colleges  and  establish  institutions 
of  learning,  and  how  men  are  striving  and  putting 
forth  their  best  efforts  to  secure  a  more  extensive 
knowledge  of  books,  and  yet  we  are  told  that  with 
all  this  getting  of  knowledge,  if  we  have  no  love,  it 
profiteth  nothing. 

"  We  might  go  through  high  school,  college, 
university  and  then  pursue  some  special  course  of 
learning,  and  though  we  may  have  the  utmost 
learning,  and  have  not  love,  it  profiteth  nothing, 
for  all  earthly  knowledge  passes  away.  And  so  we 
see  the  strong  contrast  the  apostle  draws  here. 


294  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

Then  he  goes  further  and  says,  l  Though  I  might 
have  faith  to  remove  mountains  and  have  not  love, 
I  am  nothing.'  We  might  be  able  to  say  to  yonder 
mountain,  *  Be  thou  plucked  up  and  cast  into  yon- 
der sea/  and  without  love  it  would  profit  us  noth- 
ing. Then  we  have  a  contrast  between  sacrifice  and 
love.  The  prophet  says,  '  Though  I  bestow  all  my 
goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and  though  I  give  my  body 
to  be  burned  and  have  not  charity,  it  profiteth  me 
nothing.'  Did  you  ever  think  of  that?  I  know  you 
have.  I  would  not  have  needed  to  ask  that  ques- 
tion. If  it  were  possible  for  a  man  to  give  all  his 
goods  to  feed  the  poor,  if  he  did  not  have  the  love 
of  God  in  his  heart,  it  would  profit  him  nothing. 
You  may  give  all  your  goods,  but  you  remember 
what  God  says  about  a  man  giving  his  goods  for  the 
praise  of  man.  If  you  give  them  that  way  it  doesn't 
amount  to  much.  You  remember  how  the  people 
praised  the  Savior,  and  the  very  next  day  they  were 
crying,  l  Crucify  him,  crucify  him ! '  But  if  a  man 
gives  his  goods  to  feed  the  poor,  with  the  love  of 
God  in  his  heart,  then  that  is  worth  something,  and 
that  is  the  way  he  must  give,  because  he  loves,  be- 
cause he  has  the  love  of  God  in  his  heart.  There  is 
no  one  here  this  morning  who  has  not  thought  of 
this. 

"Whether  a  man  may  be  willing  to  be  a  martyr, 
whether  he  is  willing  to  give  his  body  to  be  burned 
as  a  sacrifice,  it  profits  him  nothing  without  it  be 
prompted  by  love — and  have  you  ever  thought 
about  that?  You  remember  the  scene  that  oc- 
curred on  Mount  Carmel,  where  Elijah  built  his 
altar  to  God,  and  the  worshipers  of  Baal  built  al- 
tars to  Baal,  and  the  God  that  answered  by  kin- 
dling the  fire  on  the  altar  was  to  be  recognized  as 


SERMONS  295 

the  God  to  be  worshiped.  You  know  how  from  early 
morning  until  noon  they  called  aloud  '  Baal,  Baal ' 
and  how  Elijah  mocked  them,  saying, '  Call  louder, 
for  maybe  he  is  away  from  home,  or  perhaps  asleep 
and  must  be  waked,'  and  then  how  they  cried  aloud 
and  cut  themselves  with  knives  until  the  blood 
flowed,  and  they  did  this  all  the  day  until  evening, 
when  Elijah  called  the  people  together  and  built  his 
altar  and  called  upon  the  Lord  to  send  fire  and 
show  to  the  idol  worshipers  that  he  was  God.  With 
this  contrast  before  you  you  can  see  the  impor- 
tance of  the  love  of  God. 

"  I  believe,  as  I  believe  that  I  am  standing  be- 
fore you  this  morning,  that  the  very  foundation  of 
Christianity  was  the  love  of  God  (John  3 : 16)  that 
moved  him  to  give  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  who- 
soever believeth  in  him  might  not  perish  but  have 
everlasting  life. 

"  During  the  reign  of  Queen  Victoria,  the  last 
and  best  Queen  of  England,  perhaps  some  of  you 
remember  reading  of  her  daughter,  the  Princess 
Alice,  how  when  her  little  daughter  was  sick  with 
diphtheria  when  she  was  on  the  very  verge  of  eter- 
nity, and  the  doctors  had  warned  her  mother  not  to 
come  in  close  contact  with  the  child  on  account  of 
her  own  safety.  Just  as  the  little  one  was  dying 
she  looked  up  into  her  mother's  eyes  and  said, 
'  Mama,  won't  you  kiss  me? '  and  Princess  Alice 
stooped  and  kissed  her  dying  child  and  thus  gave  up 
her  life  for  her  child. 

"Another  illustration  of  love  is  shown  here— 
a  little  girl  was  walking  along  the  street  carry- 
ing her  little  brother,  and  she  seemed  almost  break- 
ing down  with  the  load  when  a  man  asked  her  if 


296  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

she  wasn't  tired,  and  the  little  girl  replied,  '  No,  I 
love  him  so.' 

"  The  Apostle  Paul  gives  the  elements  of  this 
love — patience,  endurance,  etc.  Drummond  com- 
pares it  to  a  spectrum.  You  know  if  you  have  this 
sunlight  coming  in  the  window  shining  through  a 
spectrum  it  will  show  the  seven  different  colors  on 
the  wall. 

"  I  want  to  ask  you  brethren  and  sisters  wheth- 
er, if  we  have  this  love  of  God  in  our  hearts,  we 
ought  not  to  make  manifest  in  our  life  the  elements 
of  which  it  is  composed.  He  says,  '  For  love  suf- 
fereth  long.'  That  means  longsuffering.  It  isn't 
hard  to  be  longsuffering  when  everything  is  going 
your  way.  It  hurts  you  a  little  more  when  you  are 
tired  and  tempted.  Why,  it  is  easy  to  say  '  Broth- 
er '  and  '  Sister '  when  everything  goes  our  way. 
Everything  works  together  for  good  to  them  that 
love  the  Lord.  But  when  trials  come  in  our  lives, 
then  it  requires  this  love  of  God  in  our  hearts  to 
say  '  Everything  works  together  for  good  to  them 
that  love  the  Lord.'  You  cannot  say  this  unless 
you  do  have  the  love  of  God  in  your  hearts. 

"  Then  the  apostle  says  this  love  is  kind.  That 
is  another  element.  Do  you  know,  there  are  some 
people  who  have  so  much  of  the  love  of  God  in  their 
heart  that  you  feel  it  a  blessing  to  have  them  come 
into  your  home.  You  are  glad  when  they  come  and 
sorry  when  they  go  away.  Then  we  have,  (  Love 
envieth  not.'  Envy  is  that  feeling  that  fills  you  up 
with  hatred.  It  is  next  to  jealousy.  It  is  the  cause 
of  murder  and  is  the  father  of  jealousy.  Some  one 
may  have  a  little  better  position  than  you  have  and 
you  feel  a  little  unpleasant  about  that.  The  love 


SERMONS  297 

of  God  takes  that  out  of  your  life.  If  you  love  some 
one  with  all  your  heart  it  just  fills  your  heart  with 
gladness  to  see  him  succeed.  Make  this  a  personal 
matter.  How  glad  you  are  when  some  one  you  love 
succeeds  well  in  something! 

"  It  brings  joy  to  your  heart.  A  husband  can- 
not succeed  too  well  to  please  his  wife.  This  is  a 
high  standard  to  attain,  but  I  tell  you  when  we 
love  people  right  well  we  want  them  to  succeed 
and  they  cannot  rise  too  high  to  please  us. 

" '  Love  vaunteth  not  itself.'  That  word 
'  vaunt '  is  an  Anglo-Saxon  word,  and  means 
1  boast '  or  i  brag.'  The  reason  it  does  not  boast  is 
because  it  is  not  of  the  boasting  kind.  When  it  gets 
into  the  heart  it  takes  out  that  puffed  condition.  If 
a  man  has  a  true  heart  and  is  disposed  to  boast, 
this  love  will  take  that  out  of  him.  Because  the 
apostle  tells  us  that  it  is  not  puffed  up.  When  a 
heart  is  puffed  up,  then  you  hear  the  vaunting,  and 
when  you  get  that  puffed-up  condition  out  of  the 
heart  you  do  not  hear  the  vaunting.  If  we  could 
learn  to  love  with  a  love  that  does  not  boast  and  is 
not  puffed  up  we  could  see  people  in  a  different 
way.  The  love  of  God  touches  the  puffed-up  heart 
and  takes  the  boasting  out  of  it,  and  puts  kindness 
in  its  place. 

"  There  are  some  men  who  have  a  very  plain 
exterior  and  a  proud  interior.  There  are  some 
people  who  are  so  proud  of  their  opinions  that  if 
you  differ  with  them  they  are  cross  about  it,  and  if 
you  cross  them  you  strike  a  snag  at  once.  The 
reason  of  that  is  that  their  inside  is  not  right.  And 
I  tell  you,  Christianity  takes  hold  of  men's  hearts 


298  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

and  makes  them  right  inside  and  outside.    That  is 
the  kind  of  a  man  this  love  brings  forth. 

"  i  Doth  not  behave  itself  unseemly.'  Let 
every  Christian  beware  how  he  behaves  himself, 
that  he  manifest  in  his  life  good  conduct.  This 
brings  out  that  same  thought.  Dr.  Harper,  presi- 
dent of  the  Chicago  University,  said  in  one  of  his 
lectures  some  time  ago  in  Chicago,  that  one  of  the 
most  fruitful  sources  of  infidelity  in  the  world  was 
the  unseemly  conduct  of  a  man  or  woman  profess- 
ing Christianity. 

"  I  am  not  preaching  to  you  any  more  this 
morning  than  to  myself.  I  confess  to  you  that  I 
have  to  watch  myself  just  as  much  as  any  one.  We 
all  have  to  watch  ourselves.  Not  long  ago  I  heard 
an  instance  like  this:  A  brother,  dressed  in  the 
plain  garb,  was  walking  along  State  Street  in 
Chicago,  and  he  passed  a  place  where  they  were 
having  a  ten-cent  show.  He  thought  he  would  just 
go  in  and  see  what  they  were  doing  in  there.  When 
he  went  to  buy  a  ticket,  the  man  said  to  him,  'From 
the  appearance  of  your  dress  this  is  no  place  for 
you.'  That  brother  told  me  he  never  received  such 
a  lesson  in  his  life.  '  No  place  for  a  man  dressed 
like  you.'  I  believe  that  brother  to  be  a  truthful 
man  and  he  said  he  would  never  forget  that  lesson. 
If  we  would  all  learn  this  lesson  to  do  nothing  un- 
seemly how  good  it  would  be ! 

"  You  know,  mothers,  how  you  watch  over  your 
child  when  it  is  sick.  You  know,  fathers,  how  you 
protect  your  children  from  harm.  It  is  love  that 
makes  you  do  that.  This  love  is  willing  to  reach 
out  and  help  others  in  this  life ;  it  is  willing  to  give 
help. 


SERMONS  299 

"  '  Not  easily  provoked.'  To  me  this  means 
that  we  as  Christians  ought  to  govern  our  tempers, 
not  get  cross.  Of  course  we  all  believe  this.  If 
you  get  the  love  of  God  in  your  hearts  and  let  it 
grow  and  grow,  after  a  while  you  will  learn  to  con- 
trol these  ugly  tempers.  I  do  not  say  all  are  built 
along  the  same  line  in  this  matter.  Some  men 
have  very  high  tempers  while  others  do  not  have. 
The  man  who  has  to  work  hard  to  overcome  his 
temper  will  have  a  brighter  crown  than  the  one 
who  does  not  have  to  do  this.  It  ought  to  be  an 
easy  thing  for  us  always  to  be  ready  to  give  a 
kind  answer.  'A  kind  answer  turneth  away  wrath, 
but  grievous  words  stir  up  anger.' 

"  This  love  we  are  tolci  thinketh  no  evil.  It  is 
very  easy  for  us  to  think  kindly  of  those  we  love, 
but  it  is  not  so  easy  with  those  we  do  not  love.  There 
is  to  be  no  thinking  of  evil  with  those  who  have  the 
love  of  God  in  their  hearts.  Now  that  does  not 
mean  that  if  a  man  is  a  murderer  I  shall  not  think 
his  deed  is  evil.  I  will  tell  you  what  it  means. 

"  When  the  brethren  first  came  to  Mount  Mor- 
ris, in  the  early  eighties,  two  of  them  went  into  a 
saloon.  It  is  a  bad  place  for  any  one,  but  especial- 
ly for  two  Dunkard  elders.  Of  course  the  people 
thought  they  had  gone  in  there  to  drink,  for  what 
else  would  they  go  for?  The  fact  is,  they  had  gone 
in  there  to  labor  and  pray  with  that  man  to  try  to 
get  him  to  stop  selling  liquor.  This  command 
means  that  we  are  not  to  impugn  men's  motives. 
We  are  to  put  the  best  construction  on  their  ac- 
tions. It  is  better  to  take  the  plan  Christ  has  set 
for  us.  If  your  brother  has  done  something  wrong, 
go  to  him  and  talk  to  him  and  thus  get  it  out  of  his 


300  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

heart  (Matt.  18).    I  don't  know  of  any  better  plan 
than  that. 

"  i  Kejoiceth  not  in  evil.'  Do  you  know  that  in 
New  York  City  there  is  a  bureau  of  information, 
and  every  time  a  Christian  man  makes  a  mistake  or 
does  a  wrong  thing,  they  publish  it  in  every  paper 
all  over  the  world.  They  rejoice  in  evil.  Love 
doesn't  do  that.  You  know  sometimes  those  who 
are  in  the  church  fall  into  sin,  and  how  we  she'd 
tears  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  that  some  have  been 
drawn  aside. 

"  These  are  the  elements  of  Christian  love. 
These  are  what  we  must  make  manifest  in  our 
lives. 

"  Let  me  call  your  attention  to  the  law  of  de- 
velopment. You  go  into  school  and  read  and  study 
books  until  they  become  a  part  of  you  and  strength- 
en you.  And  so  it  is  with  the  love  of  God.  You 
must  cultivate  it.  Do  you  know  that  hate  begets 
hate?  So  indifference  begets  indifference,  and  love 
begets  love. 

"  One  Sunday  morning  a  man  was  walking 
along  the  street  on  his  way  to  church,  and  he  met  a 
little  boy  and  asked  where  he  was  going.  The  little 
boy  told  him  he  was  going  to  Sunday-school.  Then 
the  man  said, '  Well,  why  don't  you  come  in  here  to 
our  Sunday-school  and  not  go  way  over  there? ' 
The  little  boy  said,  '  Oh,  they  love  a  fellow  over 
there.'  Another  thing  we  are  to  do  in  measuring 
our  love.  We  always  compare  God's  love  with 
ours.  We  should  not  do  that  way.  It  is  easy  to 
love  people  when  they  do  just  according  to  our  way. 
Just  as  long  as  they  do  that  they  have  our  love  and 
sympathy,  and  as  soon  as  they  go  contrary  to  that, 


SERMONS  301 

just  that  soon  we  throw  them  over.  We  do  not 
have  the  same  kind  of  feeling  for  them.  Somehow 
or  other  I  think  the  fault  lies  in  the  training  of 
people.  When  you  get  this  love  of  God  in  your 
heart  you  will  not  do  that,  because  God  loves  every- 
body. He  doesn't  love  sin,  but  he  loves  the  sinner. 
He  loved  you  and  me  when  we  were  in  sin.  I  have 
heard  parents  tell  their  children  that  if  they  are 
good,  God  will  love  them,  but  if  they  are  bad  he 
will  not  love  them.  That  is  not  right.  We  ought 
to  teach  our  children  that  God  loves  everybody, 
and  we  want  them  to  do  right  because  we  love  them, 
and  God  loves  them.  When  we  do  wrong  God 
just  keeps  on  loving  us,  and  that  is  the  way  we 
ought  to  do  in  our  love  to  each  other. 

"  How  great  is  this  love?  I  am  not  able  to 
comprehend  it.  I  used  to  think  that  because  I  be- 
longed to  the  Brethren  Church  and  washed  my 
brother's  feet  and  dressed  plainly  and  obeyed  the 
commands  of  the  church  I  was  all  right.  But  I 
have  come  to  believe  that  I  can  wash  my  brother's 
feet  and  dress  plainly  and  yet,  if  I  do  not  have 
the  love  of  God  in  my  heart,  all  my  Christian  pro- 
fession is  in  vain.  Let  us  see  that  we  have  this  in 
our  hearts,  and  then  all  is  right.  May  God  help  us 
all  to  have  this  love  in  our  hearts.  There  is  noth- 
ing that  wins  souls  for  Christ  like  love. 

"  I  was  reading  yesterday  of  a  young  man  who 
had  been  in  the  penitentiary.  He  had  fallen  into 
some  crime  and  had  been  sent  to  prison,  where  he 
had  served  his  time.  When  he  came  out  one  of  his 
friends  gave  him  a  letter  to  a  young  merchant,  and 
he  said  in  the  letter  that  this  young  man  had  been 
unfortunate  in  falling  into  crime  and  he  said,  '  I 


302  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

want  you  to  help  him.'  The  young  merchant  read 
the  letter,  then  he  said,  '  Come  home  with  me  to 
supper  and  stay  all  night.  I  want  to  talk  to  you.' 
The  young  man  went  home  with  him.  The  mer- 
chant's daughter  came  into  the  room  and  he  said 
to  her,  *  This  is  papa's  friend.  You  go  and  shake 
hands  with  him.'  The  little  girl  went  and  shook 
hands  with  him  and  kissed  him.  That  broke  him 
up.  The  tears  came  into  his  eyes  and  he  said, 
'  That  is  the  first  kiss  I  have  had  since  I  kissed  my 
dying  mother.'  That  is  the  kind  of  love  we  ought 
to  have.  Love  is  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world, 
and  when  we  have  finished  our  life  work  may  we  all 
have  that  full  fruition  when  we  reach  the  other 
shore. 

"But  'love  abideth  forever.'  It  helps  us  in 
all  our  work,  and  will  be  the  rod  and  staff  that 
will  comfort  us  as  we  pass  to  the  great  beyond. 
It  will  be  our  passport  at  the  pearly  gates  of 
heaven,  for  God  himself  is  LOVE." 


CHAPTER  XXX 

EDITORIALS 

EDITORIALS  by  Father  Miller  were   brief, 
clear  and  always  of  practical  value.     In- 
cluded here  are  only  a  few  representative 
ones  of  the  many  that  he  wrote,  beginning  in  1884 
and  continuing  until  his  death.    He  once  gave  this 
bit  of  advice  on  writing  for  the  public : 

"  First  acquire  the  habit  of  thinking  clearly 
and  concisely  and  to  the  point.  Then  express  your 
thoughts  in  the  simplest  and  fewest  words  con- 
sistent with  clearness  of  expression." 

He  likewise  advised  the  reading  of  Kipling 
as  a  help  in  acquiring  this  habit.  And  in  this  in- 
stance, as  well  as  others,  he  had  first  practiced 
what  he  preached. 

Brother  H.  C.  Early  wrote  thus  of  his 
editorials : 

"  His  editorials  show  the  versatility  and 
fruitfulness  of  his  mind,  for  they  cover  a  wide 
range  of  subjects  and  have  been  treated  in  a  most 
satisfactory  manner.  And  his  simplicity  deserves 
special  mention.  He  has  the  rare  ability  to  write 
on  difficult  subjects  in  a  manner  easy  to  under- 
stand— within  the  comprehension  even  of  boys  and 
girls.  And  he  is  clear.  None  ever  mistake  his 
meaning." 

303 


304  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

OUR  SCHOOLS 

"  The  educational  work  of  the  church  is  of 
great  importance,  and  demands  the  careful  thought 
of  all  who  are  interested  in  the  future  welfare  of 
our  Brotherhood.  However  we  may  regard  them, 
our  schools  are  having  a  silent  influence  that  will 
surely  be  felt  among  us  before  many  years  have 
passed  away.  Shall  this  influence  be  for  good? 
Then  must  we  look  well  to  the  control  of  the 
schools. 

"  As  to  the  question  of  duty  in  the  education 
of  our  young  people,  there  can  be,  it  seems  to  us,  no 
doubt  as  to  what  should  be  done.  It  is  the  duty 
of  the  church  to  provide  educational  facilities  as 
good  as  the  best,  under  her  own  fostering  care  for 
the  education  of  her  sons  and  daughters.  We 
may  be  slow  to  recognize  this  duty,  we  may  even 
close  our  eyes  to  its  importance,  but  the  fact  still 
remains  that  the  very  existence  of  the  church  in 
the  future  depends  upon  how  this  question  is  met 
and  decided  today. 

"  If  there  ever  was  a  time  when  it  seemed 
proper  for  Christian  parents  to  bring  up  their 
children  in  pious  ignorance,  that  time  has  passed 
away.  We  are  living  in  an  age  demanding  the  best 
educational  facilities.  Our  children  will  be  edu- 
cated, .and  if  we  fail  in  our  duty  toward  them  as 
a  church,  the  future  will  show  our  lack  of  wisdom 
and  sit  in  judgment  on  our  failure. 

"  While  it  is  important  that  we  provide  schools 
for  our  young  people  equal  to  the  best,  the  most  im- 
portant consideration  is  that  in  connection  with 
education,  or  rather  that  the  education  itself  be 
turned  in  the  direction  of  the  development  of  the 


EDITORIALS  305 

heart  and  the  spiritual  nature.  Some  one  has  said 
that  learning  is  an  acquaintance  with  what  others 
have  felt,  thought,  and  done ;  knowledge  comes  to 
us  from  our  own  experience,  hence  we  know  best 
what  we  have  taught  ourselves  by  personal  ex- 
perience, and  by  contact  with  God,  with  man,  and 
with  nature.  To  fill  the  mind  with  other  men's 
thoughts  and  doings,  to  become  bookish,  should 
not  be  the  aim  in  education.  We  should  rather 
aim  to  illumine  and  strengthen  the  mind  than  to 
store  it  with  learning.  The  important  question 
should  be  how  to  give  the  soul  purity  of  intention, 
the  conscience  steadfastness,  and  the  mind  force, 
pliability  and  openness  to  light ;  or,  in  other  words, 
how  to  bring  true  philosophy  and  religion  to  the 
aid  of  the  will  so  that  the  spiritual  life  shall  pre- 
vail, and  each  generation  introduce  its  successor 
to  a  higher  plane  of  life. 

"An  education  so  directed  gives  mere  learn- 
ing a  secondary  place,  and  makes  the  development 
of  the  spiritual  life  its  prime  factor,  and  this,  we 
believe,  is  the  true  idea  of  education.  We  need  to 
set  our  faces  like  steel  against  any  system  of  edu- 
cation that  does  not  give  our  holy  religion  the  first 
place  in  the  development  of  the  mind  and  heart. 

"  Many  of  our  brethren  are  sending  their  chil- 
dren to  secular  schools  where  religious  influences 
and  teachings  are  almost  wholly  ignored,  and 
where  proper  discipline  is  practically  unknown. 
What  a  fearful  responsibility  they  assume  in  a 
course  of  this  kind!  Surely,  if  their  sons  and 
daughters  are  led  astray  and  lost  by  such  a  course, 
the  parents  will  have  a  heavy  burden  to  bear. 

"  But  while  we  recognize  our  duty  in  the  line 


306  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

of  providing  educational  facilities  for  our  young 
people,  we  also  need  to  be  careful  that  we  do  not 
go  to  the  extreme  in  the  matter  of  schools,  and  of 
education.  It  is  such  a  common  thing  for  one  ex- 
treme to  follow  another  that  it  has  been  set  down 
as  a  rule.  We  have  been,  in  the  past,  somewhat 
in  the  extreme  in  our  opposition  to  schools  con- 
trolled by  the  church,  and  now,  unless  we  are 
willing  to  learn  by  the  experience  of  others  who  have 
traveled  this  same  road,  we  will  meet  with  failures. 
We  will  learn  by  sad  experience  that  schools  are 
not  money-making  institutions,  but  that  self-sacri- 
fice, flesh  and  blood,  brains  and  money,  are  the 
materials  necessary  to  build  up  and  support  edu- 
cational institutions. 

"  And  then,  too,  we  need  to  be  very  careful 
lest  we  fall  into  the  very  common  error,  that,  un- 
less a  man  has  the  advantage  of  a  collegiate  edu- 
cation, the  Lord  cannot  use  him  in  the  ministry. 
This  error  is  quite  general,  and  that  it  is  an  error, 
the  lives  of  many  eminent  ministers,  whose  school 
advantages  have  been  quite  limited,  abundantly 
prove.  If  the  definition  of  education,  given  in  a 
preceding  paragraph,  be  correct,  and  we  believe  it 
is,  then  the  man  who  has  had  a  wide  experience, 
and  has  lived  close  to  God,  having  his  mind  il- 
lumined and  strengthened,  has  received  an  educa- 
tion of  a  high  order,  although  his  school  ad- 
vantages may  have  been  limited  to  even  less  than 
academic  instruction.  Let  none  of  our  ministers 
be  discouraged  because  others  enjoy  better  ad- 
vantages than  they  did.  Education  may  be,  if 
properly  used,  a  great  help  to  the  minister,  but  it 
is  not  by  any  means  the  most  important  matter. 


EDITORIALS  307 

"In  looking  about  us  we  can  readily  see  that  the 
school  idea  has  taken  a  firm  hold  upon  our  Brother- 
hood. It  is  by  no  means  an  uncommon  thing  to 
see  at  our  '  Bible  terms/  now  held  at  all  our 
schools,  a  number  of  ministers,  some  of  whom  have 
labored  lo,  these  many  years,  in  the  holy  calling. 
We  are  glad  to  see  this,  and  feel  like  encouraging 
our  ministers  to  make  use  of  these  helpful  means, 
but  while  we  are  thus  engaged  we  need  to  be  care- 
ful lest  we  go  to  the  extreme  in  this  matter,  and 
make  school-going  a  prime  factor  when  it  ought 
to  be  but  a  secondary  one. 

"Again,  we  need  to  be  watchful  and  careful 
as  to  the  number  of  schools  we  start.  We  are  quite 
sure,  unless  this  point  is  well  guarded,  we  shall 
start  schools  with  the  word  failure  written  all  over 
them.  Years  ago  the  Methodist  Church  was,  to 
some  extent,  opposed  to  education.  Then  came 
the  time  when  they  turned  schoolward  and  with 
them  one  extreme  followed  the  other.  School  after 
school  was  started,  and  failure  after  failure  was 
recorded,  until  they  learned  by  experience  that  it 
requires  more  than  good  buildings  and  a  large  cam- 
pus to  make  schools.  We  have  already  five  schools 
in  operation,  and  if  these  depended  wholly  for 
patronage  upon  our  church  we  would  already  have 
more  than  can  be  sustained,  and  it  is  questionable 
whether,  even  with  the  patronage  they  now  have, 
they  can  be  sustained.  One  thing  is  very  certain- 
were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  some  self-sacrificing 
men  have  been  willing  to  spend  and  be  spent  in  the 
educational  work  of  the  church,  the  three  failures 
which  already  dot  the  history  of  our  educational 
work  would  be  supplemented  by  several  more. 


308  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

"  With  these  facts  before  us  it  would  seem 
that,  rather  than  to  make  efforts  to  start  more 
schools,  wisdom  and  prudence  would  dictate  that 
our  efforts  be  turned  in  the  direction  of  placing 
those  we  already  have  upon  a  sound  financial  basis. 
In  this  way  only  can  failure  be  averted  and  the 
educational  advantages  of  our  schools  be  made 
what  they  should  be — equal  to  the  best.  We  should 
remember  that  quality  and  not  quantity  is  what  is 
needed.  When  we  come  to  fill  the  faculties  of  the 
schools  we  already  have  with  faithful  members  of 
the  church,  who  are  well  qualified  and  thoroughly 
equipped  for  the  work,  we  already  have  too  many 
schools.  When  it  comes  to  a  liberal  support  of  the 
schools  we  now  have,  that  will  place  them  beyond 
the  danger  of  failure,  we  have  already  more  schools 
than  are  receiving  such  support. 

"  Will  we  learn  wisdom  from  the  experience  of 
others  who  have  already  gone  this  way,  or  will  we 
go  on  blindly  running  to  the  same  extreme,  strew- 
ing the  way  with  failure  after  failure,  injuring 
the  cause  of  education  and  the  church?  We  hope 
not,  but  we  do  not  express  this  hope  with  any  great 
degree  of  confidence.  Already  we  hear  of  another 
school  in  Kansas,  one  in  Indiana,  and  there  has 
been  talk  of  still  another  in  Ohio.  These  may  be 
mere  rumors,  but  they  show  that  the  school  spirit 
is  abroad  in  the  church,  and  unless  wisdom  prevails 
in  the  councils,  failure  and  disaster  will,  in  the 
end,  teach  the  old,  old  lesson  that  history  repeats 
itself  and  that  men  rarely  profit  by  the  experience 
of  others." 

TEST  OF  FRIENDSHIP 

"  Not  so  easy  is  it  for  us  to  understand  how 


EDITORIALS  309 

one  may  honestly  differ  from  us  and  still  love  us? 
Herein  lies  the  true  test  of  friendship,  or  rather 
the  test  of  true  friendship.  It  is  so  easy  to  love 
those  who  love  us,  who  agree  with  us  in  all  our 
notions,  and  give  cordial  assent  to  all  our  doings. 
The  real  test  comes  when  we  are  called  upon  to 
continue  to  love  and  respect  those  who  do  not 
agree  with  us,  who  tell  us  of  our  faults,  and  criti- 
cise our  actions.  Many  friends  become  estranged 
because  each  is  selfish  enough  to  want  the  other  to 
come  and  go  at  his  word. 

"  Doubtless  this  test  came  to  Paul  and  Barna- 
bas. They  parted,  not  with  loss  of  love  and  friend- 
ship, but  with  the  respect  for  each  other  that  al- 
ways comes  when  we  meet  those  who  are  firm  in 
their  convictions  of  right.  The  changeling  is  the 
friend  of  prosperity,  who  fawns  and  smiles  and 
approves  while  the  sun  shines.  When  the  clouds 
come  he  is  gone  forever.  The  man  who  is  unwilling 
to  sink  his  individuality,  and  who  has  firm  convic- 
tions, is  the  friend  of  adversity. 

"  The  spirit  of  intolerance,  however,  can  know 
nothing  of  true  friendship.  It  seeks  always  to 
assert  self,  and  is  nothing  if  not  selfish.  It  lives 
on  flattery,  and  fattens  on  self-praise.  It  is  as 
cruel  as  the  grave  and  as  remorseless  as  death. 
In  the  olden  time,  when  it  was  backed  by  ecclesi- 
astical authority  and  civil  power,  it  burned  at  the 
stake  those  who  refused  to  bow  to  its  dictates,  as 
heretics.  The  same  spirit  is  abroad  today,  but  it 
is  kept  in  abeyance  by  a  wholesome  dread  of  law. 
It  asserts  itself  in  sneakingly  seeking  to  injure 
reputation  by  circulating  reports  half  false,  half 
true,  against  those  who  do  not  worship  at  its 


310  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

shrine.  It  is  arrogant,  self-opinionated,  severe  in 
judgment,  and  without  natural  affection,  and  has 
the  poison  of  the  asp  hidden  away  in  its  oily  but 
slanderous  tongue. 

"  The  wise  man  said, i  Faithful  are  the  wounds 
of  a  friend.'  When  reproof  and  rebuke  come  from 
the  heart  and  lips  of  a  faithful,  loving  soul,  they 
only  wound  to  help  and  heal.  The  real  friend  al- 
ways comes  to  us  in  kindness,  to  tell  us  of  our 
faults.  Not  in  anger,  nor  in  harshness,  come  the 
gentle  words  of  reproof  from  a  friend,  but  in  all 
gentleness  and  long-suffering  he  seeks  to  help  us. 
It  has  been  said  that  it  is  hard  to  distinguish  be- 
tween the  looseness  of  views  and  the  judgment  of 
love.  To  be  sorry  for  the  weakness  and  follies  and 
sins  of  others,  and  to  refuse  harsh  and  unkind 
criticisms  is  right;  to  accept  them  as  a  matter  of 
course,  and  condone  them  is  wrong.  The  true 
friend  always  takes  the  former,  never  the  latter 
course. 

"  Jesus  never  condoned  sin ;  neither  did  he 
judge  harshly.  He  taught  the  intolerant  Phari- 
sees a  lesson  when  he  commanded  the  one  among 
them  without  sin  to  first  cast  a  stone  at  the  frail, 
fallen  woman  before  him.  When  no  man  remained 
to  condemn  her,  how  the  gentle  words  of  humani- 
ty's greatest  Friend  must  have  sunk  into  her  poor 
heart !  '  Neither  do  I  condemn  thee ;  go  and  sin 
no  more.' '  -Dec.  25,  1897. 

BIGHT  THINKING 

"  Never  was  greater  truth  uttered  than  that 
contained  in  the  words  of  the  wise  man,  <  For  as  a 
man  thinketh  so  is  he.'  So  true  are  these  words 
that  if  one  could  have  a  correct  record  of  the 


EDITORIALS  311 

thoughts  that  are  cherished  by  an  individual  he 
might  with  unfailing  certainty  tell  the  quality  of 
the  life.  The  thought  as  surely  directs  action  as 
the  rudder  directs  the  great  Atlantic  steamers 
that  plow  through  the  ocean  between  the  conti- 
nents. The  thoughts  not  only  direct,  but  also  in- 
duce action.  There  can  be  no  intelligent  action 
without  thought.  Thought  precedes  action,  and 
continuous  thinking  along  certain  lines  makes  the 
man  for  good  or  for  ill. 

"  The  man  who  allows  his  mind  to  be  filled 
with  thoughts  of  lust  is  as  sure  to  be  an  impure 
man  at  heart,  no  matter  what  his  profession  and 
outward  appearance  may  be,  as  it  is  sure  that 
every  seed  brings  forth  after  its  kind. 

"  The  man  who  sneers  at  honesty  and  virtue, 
and  is  suspicious  of  everybody,  is  never  to  be  trust- 
ed, for  his  thinking  has  made  him  dishonest  himself 
and  he  places  others  on  his  level.  t  As  a  man 
thinketh  so  is  he.' 

"  The  man  who  believes  in  honesty  and  virtue, 
looks  on  the  best  side  of  human  effort,  sympathizes 
with  human  weaknesses,  trusts  people,  may  some- 
times be  deceived,  but  he  is  the  man  you  can  trust. 

"  <  If  you  are  convinced,'  says  Hepworth, '  that 
there  is  neither  honor  among  men  nor  virtue  among 
women,  that  honesty  need  not  stand  in  the  way  of 
acquisition,  but  only  as  a  valuable  blind  to  help 
you  the  easier  to  attain  your  end,  then  I  can  trust 
my  forecast  of  what  you  will  be  in  middle  life  as  I 
can  trust  in  the  law  of  cause  and  effect.'  Never 
a  stone  was  thrown  into  the  air  that  could  defy 
the  law  of  gravitation  and  continue  its  flight  at 
pleasure.  It  is  sure  to  come  back  to  the  earth  again 


312  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

with  a  tliud.  The  law  that  governs  it  is  as  in- 
exorable as  death.  And  never  a  man  has  cherished 
mean,  selfish  thoiights  and  reached  a  high  spiritual 
level,  never  a  man  has  allowed  sensual  thoughts  to 
occupy  his  mind  without  becoming  impure  in  heart 
and  often  impure  in  action.  He  may  conclude  that 
he  is  quite  strong  enough  to  resist  temptation,  but 
he  walks  in  all  its  ways  and  sooner  or  later  he  will 
sit  in  sackcloth  and  ashes,  bewailing  his  fall.  The 
cause  of  failure  may  be  traced  with  absolute  cer- 
tainty to  impure  thinking,  <  for  as  a  man  thinketh 
so  is  he.' 

"  Eight  thinking  is  to  think  right  the  grand 
thoughts  and  moralities  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ.  It  is  the  heart  of  religion.  It  is  not  like 
your  creed,  that  you  can  pull  off  and  cast  aside  like 
a  garment.  It  is  made  up  of  great  heart  principles 
that  shall  abide  when  worlds  crash.  To  think  right 
is  to  be  right,  and  is  as  sure  to  take  men  and  women 
upward  in  spiritual  life  as  the  mariner  who  fol- 
lows his  compass  is  sure  to  reach  his  haven. 

" '  Whatsoever  things  are  true,  whatsoever 
things  are  honest,  whatsoever  things  are  just, 
whatsoever  things  are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are 
lovely,  whatsoever  things  are  of  good  report;  if 
there  be  any  virtue,  and  if  there  be  any  praise, 
think  on  these  things.'  '  For  as  a  man  thinketh 
so  is  he.' " 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

CLOSE  OF  ACTIVE  WORK 

THEIR  return  from  India  found  Father  Mil- 
ler in  very  poor  health.  Added  to  the 
digestive  impairment,  which  had  bothered 
him  frequently  since  1899,  was  severe  heart  trouble, 
with  resultant  sinking  spells.  He  consulted  vari- 
ous physicians,  all  agreeing  that  he  might  live  for 
a  good  many  years,  or  he  might  pass  away  at  any 
time.  He  was  compelled  to  refrain  from  all  active 
work,  to  give  up  most  of  his  preaching  and  lectur- 
ing and  to  become  a  semi-invalid.  At  times  he 
suffered  great  pain  in  the  region  of  the  heart,  but 
he  was  so  patient  and  quiet  about  it  that  few  knew 
what  he  really  passed  through.  At  night,  in  par- 
ticular, he  often  had  constant  pain  and  was  unable 
to  sleep.  It  was  not  until  the  fall  of  1909 — almost 
three  years  after  the  start  of  the  acute  trouble- 
that  he  could  sleep  peacefully. 

With  anxious  hearts  his  friends  and  relatives 
watched  the  gradual  decline  of  his  healh.  Mother 
Miller  was  his  constant  companion,  often  going 
with  him  on  preaching  trips  when  she  was  hardly 
able  to  do  so.  The  fear  that  he  would  die  away 
from  home,  during  one  of  the  spells  with  his  heart, 

313 


314  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

never  left  her  from  that  time  until  his  death,  many 
years  later.  And  although  he  had  done  much  good 
work,  and  it  seemed  to  his  friends  that  he  could 
justly  spend  the  last  years  of  his  life  quietly  in  his 
home,  he  still  received  many  calls  to  preach,  and 
when  it  was  at  all  possible  he  answered  these  calls. 
He  often  said  that  he  wanted  to  die  in  the  harness ; 
he  did  not  want  to  rust  out,  but  to  wear  out.  With 
this  indomitable  determination  he  continued  his 
work  whenever  it  was  at  all  possible  for  him  to  get 
around. 

March  13,  1907,  after  a  winter  of  poor  health 
and  serious  illness,  he  was  anointed,  feeling  that 
he  wanted  to  place  his  case  in  the  hands  of  the 
Lord  for  whatever  termination  would  be  best.  The 
anointing  took  place  in  the  library  of  his  home, 
where  he  loved  to  be.  Brethren  J.  G.  Koyer  and 
D.  E.  Price  officiated.  Brethren  M.  S.  Newcomer, 
M.  W.  Emmert,  J.  E.  Miller  and  wife,  Galen  B. 
Royer  and  wife  and  Sister  Minnie  Replogle  were 
present.  After  the  anointing  they  sang  the  first 
and  last  verses  of  "  Nearer,  My  God,  to  Thee  " 
the  song  he  loved  so  well. 

After  this  he  was  better,  and  very  gradually 
his  health  improved  until  he  was  able  to  preach 
at  near-by  churches.  By  fall  of  that  year  he  made 
a  trip  East,  to  attend  a  meeting  of  the  committee 
on  the  Bicentennial  program  for  the  next  Confer- 
ence. He  spent  four  weeks  in  the  East  and 


CLOSE  OF  ACTIVE  WORK  315 

preached  thirty-two  sermons  while  gone — not  a 
bad  showing  for  a  sick  man. 

In  August,  1907,  his  brother  Martin  died  very 
suddenly  in  Chicago.  This  was  the  first  death  in 
the  family  of  eight  children  who  had  grown  to  ma- 
turity, and  consequently  was  a  blow  to  all  of  them, 
particularly  to  Father  Miller  in  his  weakened  con- 
dition. The  family  ties  of  the  Millers  were  very 
close,  and  especially  did  Father  Miller  love  and 
reverence  all  things  connected  with  the  home.  He 
felt  very  keenly  the  death  of  his  brother. 

Although  in  failing  health,  his  interest  in 
church  activities  never  waned.  In  1906  he  had 
been  appointed  on  the  Church  Name  Committee. 
Some  felt,  rightly  enough,  that  the  name  "  German 
Baptist  Brethren  "  was  unwieldy  and  gave  a  wrong 
impression  of  the  church,  also  making  the  nick- 
name "  Dunkards  "  more  convenient,  so  there  had 
been  an  agitation  to  change  the  name.  "  Church 
of  the  Brethren  "  was  Father  Miller's  selection, 
and  he  threw  his  influence  for  that  name  in  his 
work  on  the  committee,  and  in  his  editorials  in 
the  Messenger.  Doubtless  his  influence  largely  de- 
cided the  issue  and  "  Church  of  the  Brethren  "  was 
confirmed  by  the  Conference. 

About  this  time  a  keen  disappointment  entered 
his  life,  in  connection  with  the  withdrawal  of 
Brother  Fercken  from  the  church  and  from  the  mis- 
sion in  France.  Father  Miller  had  stood  by  Broth- 


316  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

er  Fercken  faithfully,  through  the  years,  backing 
his  work  in  the  mission  at  Smyrna,  and  again  in 
Switzerland  and  France.  He  had  taken  his  side, 
when  twice  accused  of  indiscreet  conduct,  had  up- 
held him  constantly  in  his  work,  both  spiritually 
and  financially,  and  when  finally  Brother  Fercken 
formally  withdrew  from  the  church,  it  was  a  bit- 
ter trial  for  Father  Miller.  After  writing  a  brief 
account  of  the  affair  for  the  Messenger  of  Jan.  5, 
1907,  he  closed  by  saying  in  his  kindly  way : 

"  Of  Brother  Fercken  we  have  no  criticism  or 
unkind  word  to  offer.  It  is  believed  that  while  he 
was  with  us  he  did  what  he  could.  He  has  his 
strength  and  weaknesses,  and  in  this  he  does  not 
differ  from  most  men.  When  he  was  no  longer  in 
sympathy  with  the  church,  he  quietly  withdrew, 
and  for  this  he  is  to  be  commended.  Of  one  thing 
we  feel  sure,  that  no  matter  where  he  may  spend 
the  few  years  he  yet  has  to  live,  he  will  never  find 
more  love  and  confidence  than  was  given  him  by  the 
Brethren  Church.  Neither  do  we  believe  that  the 
mystic  philosophy  of  the  great  Swede  [Sweden- 
borg]  will  satisfy  his  soul  yearnings  as  does  the 
simple  faith  of  Jesus  as  the  Savior  of  the  world. 
Other  men  have  come  to  the  church  and  left  her 
communion,  but  she  has  gone  on  in  her  efforts  to 
re-establish  primitive  Christianity.  For  a  brief 
moment  a  slight  ripple  has  been  raised,  and  then 
the  name  becomes  a  mere  memory,  to  die  out  and 
be  forgotten  in  a  very  few  years.  The  work  of  the 
Lord  goes  on  as  if  they  had  never  lived." 

Father  Miller  was  so  slow  to  judge  and  so 


CLOSE  OF  ACTIVE  WORK  317 

kindly-spirited  that  it  was  very  hard  for  him  to  be- 
lieve that  another  could  do  a  base  act,  and  conse- 
quently, in  some  instances,  he  was  deceived  by 
those  in  whom  he  had  faith.  However,  as  a  rule  he 
had  a  keen  judgment  of  character.  His  corre- 
spondence shows  a  real  ability  in  analyzing  the 
people  with  wrhom  he  worked,  and  in  appointments 
he  always  used  his  influence  toward  placing  a  per- 
son in  a  position  where  his  good  qualities  would  be 
emphasized.  He  was  so  thoroughly  able  to  sub- 
due his  own  feelings  and  so  interested  in  the  wel- 
fare of  others,  that  he  could  work  harmoniously 
with  almost  any  one,  however  much  they  might 
disagree  in  some  particulars. 

He  was,  however,  not  given  to  condoning  weak- 
ness, as  this  bit  of  philosophy  shows : 

"  It  seems  difficult  for  some  of  us  to  dis- 
tinguish between  looseness  of  views  and  charitable 
judgments.  To  be  sorry  for  people's  sins  and 
follies,  and  to  refuse  harsh  criticism,  is  right;  to 
accept  them  as  a  matter  of  course  is  wrong." 

To  some  who  worked  with  him,  his  kindness  in 
judgment  was  not  always  appreciated,  but  un- 
doubtedly the  sinner,  who  found  such  fatherly  love 
and  charitable  consideration,  would  come  more 
nearly  being  turned  from  his  Avrong  way  by  it,  than 
by  the  harsher  criticism  of  others.  It  is  hard  to 
hurt  those  who  love  us.  And  here  is  another  bit  of 
philosophy  from  his  pen : 


318  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

"  To  feel  temptation  and  resist  it,  renders  us 
liberal  in  our  judgments  of  others.  To  yield  to  it 
renders  us  suspicious  of  all." 

Father  Miller  had  an  open  mind  and  gave 
careful  consideration  to  suggestions  received,  but 
when  he  once  determined  on  what  was  right  he 
could  not  be  moved.  He  once  said  that  he  was  will- 
ing, for  the  sake  of  peace  and  harmony,  almost  to 
bend  a  principle,  but  never  to  break  one.  When  his 
mind  was  made  up  on  what  was  right  it  was  rarely 
changed,  as  the  following  little  incident  will  show : 

In  the  early  days,  when  the  move  to  Mount 
Morris  was  made,  the  question  of  the  prayer  cover- 
ing was  brought  up.  Until  this  time  he  had  given 
it  no  especial  consideration.  Therefore  he  wrote 
one  of  the  prominent  leaders  in  the  church  for  the 
arguments  for  and  against  it.  The  leader  replied 
that  he  had  not  studied  the  question.  Then  Fa- 
ther Miller  immediately  settled  himself  to  work, 
to  seek  the  truth  in  the  matter.  He  faithfully 
sought  out  every  argument  on  both  sides.  He  then 
made  up  his  mind  what  was  right  and  never  after 
changed  it,  although  he  lived  to  see  the  day  when 
the  wearing  of  the  prayer  covering,  in  some  parts, 
was  gradually  disappearing.  On  his  death  bed,  he 
said  to  Mother  Miller :  "Dear,  you  have  been  faith- 
ful about  wearing  the  prayer  covering."  And 
again  he  repeated  it,  showing  that,  in  his  weak- 
ness and  age,  it  was  a  comfort  to  him  to  know  that 


MOTHER   MILLER 


CLOSE  OF  ACTIVE  WORK  319 

the  dear  companion  of  his  life  had  been  faithful  to 
one  of  the  beliefs  he  had  held  so  firmly. 

The  winter  of  1907  was  spent  at  home.  The 
following  spring  he  was  able  to  attend  the  Bicen- 
tennial Conference  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  Here  he 
made  no  talk,  only  acting  as  moderator  for  the  Sun- 
day program.  During  the  following  summer  he 
did  some  preaching,  but  in  November  he  became 
ill  in  the  midst  of  a  series  of  meetings,  and  was 
compelled  to  drop  them. 

The  death  of  his  brother  David  occurred  this 
summer.  "  Davy,"  as  he  had  always  been  called, 
was  one  of  those  beautiful  characters  who  are  born 
good,  and  was  much  loved  by  all  of  the  family.  He 
had  not  been  unusually  prominent  in  the  church, 
but  had  been  a  minister,  had  served  once  on  the 
Standing  Committee,  and  had  always  done  what 
he  could  in  the  interests  of  the  church.  Again  this 
was  a  hard  trial  for  Father  Miller,  but  he  had  the 
consolation  of  knowing  that  it  would  not  be  long 
until  he  would  meet  his  brother  in  another  world. 

The  winter  of  1908-09  was  spent  in  California. 
He  did  what  preaching  he  could,  but  had  given  up 
lecturing  almost  entirely,  turning  his  slides  and 
stereopticon  over  to  his  brother,  W.  K.  Miller,  who 
had  taken  up  this  work.  Gradually  he  was  with- 
drawing from  all  responsible  positions.  He  served 
less  and  less  on  Conference  committees,  but  so 
far  he  had  attended  practically  every  meeting  of 


320  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

the  Missionary  Committee.    He  took  an  active  in- 
terest in  this  work  longer  than  in  any  other. 

He  was  still  a  trustee  of  Mount  Morris  College, 
having  until  the  end  a  real  concern  for  its  progress. 
While  he  always  stood  for  the  principles  of  the 
church  and  for  general  progress  in  the  school,  it 
is  to  be  doubted  if  he  ever  made  an  effort  to  direct 
the  actual  educational  policy  of  the  institution. 
Father  Miller  knew  his  own  strength  and  accepted 
no  positions  he  felt  unable  to  occupy,  as  is  well  il- 
lustrated by  his  educational  work  all  through  life. 
He  greatly  regretted  his  lack  of  formal  education, 
for  he  knew  full  well  the  value  of  credits  and 
diplomas.  Four  times  before  1897  was  he  offered 
the  presidencies  of  various  church  schools,  but 
every  time  he  refused,  saying  that  the  time  would 
come  when  men  of  the  highest  education  would  be 
needed  in  the  church  schools,  and  that  his  lack  of 
that  education  made  it  impossible  for  him  to  ac- 
cept such  a  position,  even  though,  at  the  time  it  was 
offered,  he  might  be  able  to  fill  it.  A  glance  over 
his  Conference  appointments  shows  that  he  was 
not  on  a  single  educational  committee.  In  not  ac- 
cepting such  positions  he  showed  his  broad-minded- 
ness and  vision.  Many  men  in  his  position  would 
have  taken  a  critical  attitude  toward  all  things 
educational,  because  they  themselves  could  not 
help  with  the  actual  work.  But  Father  Miller  was 
not  built  that  way.  His  five  years'  experience  as 


CLOSE  OF  ACTIVE  WORK  321 

business  manager  of  Mount  Morris  College  in  its 
early  days,  and  Ms  constant  association  with  edu- 
cated men  gave  him  an  insight  into  the  real  prob- 
lems of  the  school,  and  at  the  same  time  a  realiza- 
tion of  his  own  abilities.  Therefore  he  threw  his 
influence  in  favor  of  schools  of  the  highest  educa- 
tional worth  consistent  with  the  church  principles, 
and  did  much  toward  their  realization.  He  not 
only  used  his  influence  toward  this  end,  but  gave 
liberally  of  his  means.  Juniata,  Bethany  Bible 
School,  Manchester,  Bridgewater,  McPherson  and 
Mount  Morris  Colleges  received  liberal  donations 
from  him. 

His  charities  included  a  great  deal  more  than 
gifts  to  the  schools.  Many  a  student  was  helped 
over  a  rough  place  by  timely  aid  from  him.  Worthy 
people  in  financial  distress  were  likewise  aided. 
Wherever  he  saw  a  need,  he  was  there  with  an  open 
purse  to  help,  and  he  did  it  so  quietly  that  few 
knew  what  had  been  done.  He  donated  liberally 
to  any  public  charity  or  to  any  institution  for  the 
welfare  of  the  people.  His  greatest  donations  were 
to  missions.  He  contributed  as  money  came  to 
him  until  he  had  practically  given  away  everything 
he  possessed  before  his  death,  only  making  ar- 
rangements that  a  sufficient  income  should  come  to 
Mother  Miller  as  long  as  she  lived.  Many  people 
have  given  even  more  money  than  he  to  such 
causes,  but  there  was  one  gift  which  no  one  could 
have  given  more  freely  than  he,  and  that  was  the 


322  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

gift  of  himself.  As  he  grew  older  he  dedicated  ev- 
ery act  of  his  life  to  the  cause  of  the  church.  What- 
ever money  he  made,  whatever  success  he  achieved, 
whatever  time  he  had — all  were  dedicated  to  the 
interests  of  the  church.  He  gave  himself. 

Brother  H.  C.  Early  very  fittingly  sums  up  his 
work  in  the  church  as  follows : 

"  It  will  be  seen  that  God  gave  Brother  Mil- 
ler his  life  at  a  very  important  period  in  the  growth 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  It  was  a  distinctly 
transitional  period,  such  as  the  church  never  knew 
in  her  history.  Here  are  the  four  leading  activi- 
ties of  church  enterprise:  The  publishing  busi- 
ness, Sunday-schools,  higher  education  and  mis- 
sions. These  were  in  the  throes  of  birth  during  the 
last  thirty  years  of  the  nineteenth  century,  or  in 
other  words,  the  church  was  in  travail,  in  getting 
back  to  the  teaching  and  practices  of  our  own 
church  fathers,  and  needed  some  one  to  deliver 
her.  Brother  Miller  believed  sincerely  that  these 
agencies  were  essential  to  the  church's  welfare— 
in  fact,  that  the  church  cannot  exist  today  without 
them — and  he  put  himself  heartily  to  the  task  of  re- 
establishing them  in  the  practice  of  the  church,  as 
the  foregoing  statement  of  his  connection  shows. 
He  did  more  than  any  other  man  in  the  church,  I 
think,  to  influence  Conference  to  get  behind  these 
measures.  It  would  seem  that  God  raised  him  up 
at  this  time  for  this  purpose.  He  has  been  a  real 
Moses  among  our  people.  He  was  a  real  Chris- 
tian statesman,  and  when  the  history  of  his  life  is 
fully  written,  Christian  statesmanship  will  be 
shown  to  be  his  crowning  glory." 


CLOSE  OF  ACTIVE  WORK  323 

At  the  Conference  at  Winona  Lake,  Indiana, 
in  1910,  he  formally  resigned  from  further  active 
work  as  a  member  of  the  General  Missionary  and 
Tract  Committee.  He  rose  from  his  place  on  the 
platform  and  came  forward,  to  face  the  great  au- 
dience which  packed  the  auditorium  to  the  doors. 
There  he  stood,  dignified  and  quiet,  waiting  for  the 
people  to  be  still — stood  almost  as  if  he  were  ready 
to  say :  "  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished 
the  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith."  When  silence 
had  come,  he  read  briefly  an  account  of  the  prog- 
ress in  missions  that  had  taken  place  during  the 
time  of  the  present  organization,  and  then,  explain- 
ing that  poor  health  made  it  necessary,  he  asked  to 
be  relieved  of  further  work  on  the  committee.  When 
he  sat  down,  a  sigh — almost  a  moan— passed  over 
the  vast  audience,  for  all  loved  him  and  saw  that 
this  was  the  beginning  of  the  end. 

When  his  resignation  was  accepted,  the  fol- 
lowing resolutions  were  passed : 

"  Whereas,  On  account  of  failing  health,  Eld- 
er D.  L.  Miller  offers  to  the  Conference,  through 
Standing  Committee,  his  resignation  as  a  member 
of  the  General  Mission  Board,  and 

"Whereas,  We  feel  his  services  in  the  work 
of  missions  are  so  important  and  useful,  both  to 
the  Board  and  to  the  church,  through  his  many 
years  of  experience  and  travel  in  mission  lands, 

"  We  offer  the  folloAving  resolutions : 


324  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

"  1.  Desiring  to  do  nothing  to  lessen  his  days 
of  usefulness  for  the  church  militant  or  to  lay  any 
unnecessary  burden  upon  him,  because  we  need 
him  as  long  as  God  may  spare  him  to  us,  we  can 
accept  his  resignation  only  on  account  of  his  fail- 
ing health  and  do  so  most  reluctantly. 

"  2.  We  acknowledge  with  gratitude  his  in- 
calculable service  through  these  many  years,  hav- 
ing been  a  member  of  the  Mission  Board  from  its 
beginning,  having  traveled  extensively  with  a  pur- 
pose to  know  the  need  of  the  world  and  opportuni- 
ties of  the  church  both  at  home  and  abroad.  Also 
having  been  in  touch  with  the  publishing  interests 
for  so  many  years  and  helping  so  largely  in  mak- 
ing the  present  large  plant  a  success  and  the  prop- 
erty of  the  church. 

"  3.  In  view  of  the  above  facts  and  his  great 
helpfulness  to  the  Board  and  their  urgent  request 
for  it,  we  recommend  that  he  be  made  an  advisory 
member  of  the  General  Mission  Board  during  his 
lifetime. 

"  4.  We  extend  to  him  the  gratitude  of  this 
Conference  for  these  long  years  of  wise  counsel, 
the  loyal  and  untiring  service,  and  invoke  the  bless- 
ing of  God  upon  the  work  to  which  he  has  contrib- 
uted so  much,  and  that  many  years  may  yet  be  giv- 
en him  and  his  good  wife,  enriched  with  the  bless- 
ings of  God." 


CHAPTEE  XXXII 

LAST  DAYS 

HENCEFOETH,  Father  and  Mother  Miller 
spent  their  winters  in  California  and 
their  summers  in  Mount  Morris,  with  the 
exception  of  two  winters,  one,  1915-16,  in  Cuba, 
and  another  winter  in  Florida  and  Illinois.  When- 
ever at  all  able,  Father  Miller  preached,  and  very 
often  when  it  seemed  to  those  about  him  impossi- 
ble for  him  to  do  so. 

In  1912,  he,  with  Brother  Galen  B.  Eoyer, 
published  another  book,  entitled  "  Some  Who  Led." 
For  many  years  Father  had  been  saving  pictures 
of  various  leaders  in  the  church,  and  the  idea  was 
conceived  of  getting  out  a  book  of  brief  biogra- 
phies illustrated  with  these  pictures.  Some  sixty 
biographies  were  written  and  arranged  to  make  a 
very  interesting  book,  as  well  as  a  valuable  refer- 
ence work. 

About  three  years  before  his  death  he  sold 
their  home  in  Mount  Morris  and  much  of  their  fur- 
niture. It  seemed  that  he  was  withdrawing  from 
earthly  cares  and  ties  wherever  possible.  He  had 
lived  for  so  long  expecting  that  any  minute  might 
be  his  last,  that  it  was  not  unnatural  for  him  to  do 

325 


326  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

this.  His  library  and  relics,  collected  through  so 
many  years  of  travel,  were  given  to  Mount  Morris 
College.  At  one  time  he  had  decided  to  give  his 
library  to  the  Publishing  House  for  the  use  of  the 
editors,  but  on  further  consideration  he  felt  that  it 
could  be  of  greater  value  to  the  college,  where  so 
many  more  would  have  access  to  it.  Accordingly 
this  plan  was  followed. 

Much  time  was  spent  going  carefully  through 
his  relics,  numbering  and  labeling  them,  prepara- 
tory to  their  transference  to  cases  at  the  college 
library.  He  had  many  idols  of  different  kinds, 
some  of  which  had  been  worshiped.  He  possessed 
a  mill  that  was  used  in  Palestine  by  the  women  for 
grinding ;  also  a  wine  bottle  made  of  a  skin,  and  a 
sample  of  the  plows  that  have  been  employed  in  the 
Holy  Land  since  the  days  of  the  Bible.  One  of  his 
valued  relics  was  an  old  Koll  of  the  Law,  made  of 
parchment  and  rolled  up  on  sticks,  a  very  ancient 
book,  indeed.  But  it  would  be  impossible  to  enu- 
merate here  the  many  things  he  had  collected  dur- 
ing his  travels.  They  had  all  been  carefully  pre- 
served and  are  now  keeping  alive  his  memory  in 
the  minds  of  the  students  at  Mount  Morris.  In  his 
library  he  had  a  number  of  old  volumes  of  unusual 
value,  among  them  three  Christopher  Sower  Bibles 
published  before  the  Kevolution,  one  in  1732,  the 
other  two  later,  and  a  "  Chronicon  Ephratuse," 
published  in  1786,  and  valuable  because  of  frequent 


LAST  DAYS  327 

allusions  to  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.    These 
were  all  moved  to  the  college. 

The  summer  of  1918,  after  the  selling  of  his 
home,  he  and  Mother  Miller  spent  with  his  sister 
Anna  in  Elgin.  Brother  Frank  also  was  there, 
and  George  came  for  a  visit,  one  of  the  last  times 
that  so  many  of  them  could  be  together.  The  follow- 
ing winter  was  spent  in  California,  where  they  felt 
as  much  at  home  as  anywhere;  Frank  went  with 
them,  for  his  wife  had  died,  leaving  "him  alone. 
And  Father  Miller  continued  preaching. 

Two  years  later,  in  the  spring  of  1920,  Father 
and  Mother  Miller  again  went  to  housekeeping. 
They  bought  a  place  near  the  church  in  Mount  Mor- 
ris, redecorated  it,  and  placed  in  it  some  of  the  fur- 
niture which  they  had  saved  from  the  sale.  As 
Mother  Miller  said  it  was  not  a  home,  but  just  a 
house.  Father's  library  looked  very  bare  without 
his  books,  but  they  were  quite  happy  that  summer 
in  their  own  place.  Mother  Miller  did  the  work 
and  Father  enjoyed  again  having  her  personal 
oversight  of  the  home.  Through  all  the  years  of 
their  married  life,  they  always  had  that  peace  and 
serenity  which  is  the  result  of  real  love.  Father's 
letters  were  full  of  praise  for  his  wife,  often  con- 
taining references  like  the  following,  written  May 
4,  1921,  the  last  letter  he  wrote  to  my  father : 

"  Had  a  good  long  letter  from  mother  today. 
She  is  lonesome  and  I  have  written  her  to  come  on 
East  and  be  with  me.  I  hope  she  will  come.  I  am 


328  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

homesick  myself  to  be  with  her.  She  is  in  her 
seventy-third  and  I  in  my  eightieth  year,  and  we 
have  lived  together  nearly  fifty-four  years.  It 
goes  a  bit  hard  to  be  separated." 

In  Iowa,  in  the  summer  of  1920,  he  had  a  se- 
vere attack,  and  from  that  time  on  the  decline  of 
his  health  was  rapid,  but  his  mind  remained  vigor- 
ous and  his  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  church 
was  as  keen  as  ever.  In  the  fall  of  1920,  with  Moth- 
er Miller  and  Frank  he  went  to  Clermont,  Florida, 
where  Frank  had  been  the  year  before.  They  se- 
cured a  place  to  live  and  did  their  own  cooking, 
greatly  to  the  pleasure  and  advantage  of  all  of 
them.  But  this  arrangement  did  not  last  long. 
While  Father  was  away  preaching,  Frank  very 
suddenly  died,  after  an  illness  of  a  few  hours.  Fa- 
ther and  Mother  Miller  brought  the  body  to 
Polo,  where  the  funeral  services  were  held.  This 
occurred  immediately  before  Christmas.  After 
some  consideration,  they  decided  to  remain  North 
for  the  rest  of  the  winter.  In  some  ways,  this  was  a 
hard  winter  on  both  of  them.  Father  especially 
felt  the  loss  of  another  brother. 

Their  own  home  did  not  have  a  furnace,  so 
they  boarded  with  Brother  Will  West's  at  Mount 
Morris,  where  they  always  had  been  given  a  warm 
reception.  Father  was  troubled  a  great  deal  with 
rheumatism  and  lumbago,  but  he  still  took  a  very 
live  interest  in  church  and  school  matters  at  Mount 
Morris,  as  well  as  of  the  entire  Brotherhood.  With 


LAST  DAYS  329 

the  growth  and  change  which  had  taken  place  in 
the  church  during  the  recent  years,  he  kept  pace, 
and  while  his  method  was  not  always  the  one  used 
in  working  out  some  of  the  problems,  he  did  not  re- 
sent that,  but  always  felt  that  the  other  might  be 
right.  As  he  once  wrote  near  the  close  of  his  life, 
"  I  used  to  have  a  good  deal  of  anxiety  about  the 
problems  we  had  to  meet.  I  have  none  now.  I'll 
do  my  best,  try  to  think  no  evil,  for  that  is  a  char- 
acteristic of  love,  and  speak  no  evil  and  trust  it  all 
to  God.  He  will  bring  it  all  out  right  in  the  end." 
Seasoned  with  this  sublime  faith,  the  last  years  of 
his  life  were  spent  peacefully. 

The  last  of  April,  Father  and  Mother  Miller 
went  to  Elgin,  where  he  attended  the  meeting  of  the 
Mission  Board.  While  there  the  news  was  brought 
that  Brother  John  Henry  Bashor  Williams,  Sec- 
retary-Treasurer of  the  Board  and  traveling  in  the 
Orient,  had  died  at  Mombasa,  British  East  Africa. 
This  was  a  hard  blow  to  Father,  for  such  things 
hurt  him  greatly.  He  felt  very  much  the  personal 
loss  in  Brother  Williams'  death,  but  also  knew  that 
the  church  and  board  had  endured  a  more  severe 
loss,  which  likewise  gave  him  concern.  His  wish 
was  that  he  might  have  been  taken  and  the  younger 
man  left  to  continue  the  work. 

However  severely  he  may  have  felt  the  death 
of  Brother  Williams,  it  did  not  depress  him,  but 
rather  seemed  to  arouse  and  stimulate  him  to  a 
greater  activity  at  the  Board  Meeting.  Although 


330  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

seventy-nine  years  old,  his  advice  and  help  were 
needed  once  more  and  he  gave  it  with  his  old  time 
vigor.  After  taking  a  more  active  interest  in  the 
business  of  the  Board  than  he  had  for  years,  he 
left  the  room  to  start  a  preaching  tour  of  the  East, 
and  as  he  went  out  of  the  door,  he  raised  his  arm 
in  that  old  gesture,  so  many  will  remember,  assur- 
ing them,  "  the  Lord  willing,"  that  he  would  meet 
them  at  Conference. 

He  began  a  series  of  meetings  at  Welsh  Kun, 
Pennsylvania.  Here  many,  many  years  before  he 
had  joined  the  church  and  partaken  of  his  first 
love  feast.  In  one  of  his  last  letters  he  gives  a 
brief  account  of  these  meetings: 

"April  29,  1921. 

"  One  day  this  week  we  visited  the  old  Kock- 
dale  schoolhouse,  where  I  went  to  school  seventy- 
five  years  ago,  Broadf ording  church  and  the  graves 
of  Father  and  Mother  Miller  (she  was  fifty- two 
years  and  seven  months  old  when  the  Lord  called 
her  home),  and  the  old  mill  where  I  was  born. 
...  I  enjoyed  it  all  but  was  tired  when  preach- 
ing time  came. 

"  We  are  having  large  crowds  of  intensely  in- 
terested people  attending  the  meetings.  Sunday 
evening  all  could  not  get  into  the  house.  .  .  . 

"  Had  a  letter  from  Mother  yesterday.  She  is 
well  and  busy  getting  our  home  ready  for  house- 
keeping when  I  get  home  in  July.  I  want  her  to 
come  East,  attend  Annual  Meeting  and  go  with 
me  to  New  York.  I  hope  she  will  come  and  be 


LAST  DAYS  331 

with  me  and  then  we  can  visit  you  on  our  way 
West." 

Before  the  close  of  these  meetings  he  partook 
of  his  last  love  feast  in  the  same  church  where  he 
had  the  first.  With  more  than  his  usual  enthusiasm, 
he  preached  for  his  last  sermon,  "  The  Marks  of  the 
Lord  Jesus." 

From  Welsh  Kun  he  went  to  Shady  Grove, 
where  he  preached  in  the  Hade  church.  His  sis- 
ter Anna  was  with  him  a  few  days,  and  when  she 
returned  to  her  home  she  left  word  at  the  place  he 
was  staying  to  send  for  her  in  case  he  got  sick,  for 
she  saw  his  weakened  condition.  All  week  he 
preached.  The  following  Sunday  morning  he  be- 
came so  ill  that  he  vomited.  But  he  recovered  to 
some  extent  before  evening,  and  with  his  old-time 
determination  insisted  on  preaching  in  the  evening. 
Monday,  May  16,  his  sister  was  called  from  her 
home  in  Huntingdon,  Pennsylvania,  and  arrived 
that  same  afternoon.  The  following  day  his  wife 
was  sent  for.  She  also  came  at  once  and  the  two 
nursed  him  until  he  was  able  to  be  moved  to  his 
sister's  home  in  Huntingdon,  May  21. 

He  was  happy  to  be  in  familiar  surroundings 
again,  to  be  strong  enough  to  get  up  and  dress  and, 
for  a  time,  was  not  under  the  care  of  a  doctor.  The 
graduation  exercises  of  Juniata  College  were  going 
on  and  many  visitors  were  about.  Father  Miller 
always  loved  such  times  and  greatly  enjoyed  see- 
ing the  people.  June  1  he  sat  on  the  front  porch, 


332  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

where  many  had  gathered  about  him  as  in  the  days 
of  old,  and  talked  for  an  hour  with  his  old-time 
vigor.  Perhaps  that  night  he  staid  out  too  long. 
At  any  rate,  the  next  day  he  was  taken  with  se- 
vere chills  and  double  pneumonia  set  in.  Those 
about  him  realized  then  that  his  case  was  serious. 

Most  of  the  time  he  had  the  full  power  of  his 
mind,  but  occasionally  hours  came  when  he  did  not 
seem  to  be  fully  conscious  of  what  he  was  doing. 
During  one  of  these  periods  he  put  his  arm  out 
several  times.  Mother  Miller  asked  him  what  he 
wanted.  He  put  his  arm  out  again,  and  then  her 
voice  seemed  to  bring  him  to  himself  for  he  said, 
"  I  thought  I  was  taking  Brother  S—  -  into  the 
water  to  baptize  him." 

At  Shady  Grove  he  had  been  staying  in  the 
home  of  a  man  who  was  not  a  Christian.  Father 
talked  to  him  about  his  soul,  but  the  man  had  not 
yet  given  his  consent  to  join  the  church.  Even  in 
his  last  moments,  Father  longed  for  this  man's 
soul. 

His  mind  was  on  the  next  Conference,  which 
he  had  planned  to  attend.  On  Tuesday,  the  last 
day  of  his  life,  he  told  my  father  the  officers  he 
wished  to  see  elected  at  this  Conference. 

His  love  for  the  Conference  never  failed  and, 
when  he  saw  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  him 
to  attend,  a  very  few  hours  before  his  death  he 
dictated  this  last  message  to  that  body : 


D.   L.   AND  HIS  ONLY   SISTER 


'    V: 


LAST  DAYS  333 

"  I'm  not  feeling  so  well,  and  mother  has  kind- 
ly consented  to  write  to  you  for  me.  This  is  a  great 
blessing  to  me  and  I  guess  it  is  to  you  too.  I've 
been  hoping  day  after  day  to  get  down  to  Hershey 
to  see  you,  but  guess  that  will  not  be  so.  My  strong 
desire  has  been  to  come  down  to  you.  My  pro- 
f  oundest  blessing  be  upon  you  and  all  the  good  men 
and  women  at  the  Conference.  May  we  have  one 
of  the  best  Annual  Meetings  we  have  had  for  years. 
May  the  Spirit  of  God  direct  and  control  every- 
thing. Give  my  Christian  regards  to  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Standing  Committee  and  to  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Conference.  May  his  Holy  Spirit  guide 
and  control  every  soul  in  Divine  presence.  Then 
we  know  we  shall  have  a  blessed  meeting.  This  is 
all. 

"  Yours  in  Christ  Jesus, 

"  D.  L.  Miller." 

This  letter  was  sent  to  Brother  H.  C.  Early, 
so  long  associated  with  him  in  the  work  on  the 
Mission  Board. 

His  last  signature  was  written  about  three 
hours  before  his  death,  on  a  check  to  be  given  as  a 
wedding  present  to  his  niece,  Kuth,  who  was  soon 
to  be  married. 

He  had  seemed  to  be  holding  his  strength  that 
last  afternoon  of  his  life,  and  Mother  Miller  had 
been  persuaded  to  go  to  supper  with  the  family,  so 
they  were  all  eating  together  when  the  nurse 
called,  "  Come  quick." 

The  end  had  come  as  it  always  does.    On  June 


334  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

7, 1921,  they  saw  him,  with  a  smile  on  his  face — a 
smile  that  did  not  cease  when  his  heart  stopped 
beating — pass  peacefully  away  to  that  land  for 
which  he  had  longed  for  so  many  years. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

WHAT  THEY  SAID 

BRIEF  services  were  held  in  Huntingdon,  at 
the  home  of  Galen  B.  Royer,  where  he  died, 
before  the  body  was  taken  to  Mount  Mor- 
ris for  burial. 

Brother  T.  T.  Myers,  a  professor  in  Juniata 
College,  spoke  from  the  text,  "  Thou  Shalt  Be 
Missed."  He  told  of  his  acquaintance  with  Father 
Miller,  beginning  in  the  days  when  Father  had 
sold  the  first  lunch  tickets  at  the  Conference  in  Lan- 
ark in  1880,  and  continuing  throughout  his  life. 
He  mentioned  how  often  Father  Miller  had  spoken 
on  love,  and  how  he  had  lived  up  to  the  thirteenth 
chapter  of  First  Corinthians.  Then  he  briefly 
enumerated  the  various  departments  of  the  church 
where  Father  Miller  would  be  missed,  the  councils 
of  the  church,  the  missionary  work,  the  publishing 
interests,  the  schools,  the  Sunday-schools,  and  in 
his  home.  Then  Brother  Cassady,  also  of  Hunt- 
ingdon, said  a  very  few  words : 

"  The  last  time  I  saw  Father  Miller,  he  took 
my  hand  and  said :  '  I  love  you,  Brother  Cassady. 
God  bless  you,'  and  I  was  glad  that  there  was  some- 
thing in  my  life  that  he  could  love." 

335 


336  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

At  Mount  Morris,  Brother  J.  E.  Miller 
preached  the  sermon,  the  introduction  of  which 
follows : 

"As  we  meet  today  to  hold  these  last  services 
on  the  occasion  of  the  death  of  our  departed  Broth- 
er Miller,  I  find  myself  at  a  loss  to  choose  a  text, 
as  well  as  what  to  say  and  how  to  say  it.  The  life 
that  he  lived  speaks  louder  in  your  sad  hearts  than 
any  words  which  I  might  utter.  When  I  think  of 
the  life  of  D.  L.  Miller  there  come  to  my  mind  the 
words  of  Moses, '  We  spend  our  years  as  a  tale  that 
is  told'  (Psa.  90:  9).  Again  I  think  possibly  I 
should  speak  from  the  words  of  the  Master  when  he 
said,  'A  good  man  out  of  the  good  treasure  of  the 
heart  bringeth  forth  good  things  '  (Matt.  12:  35), 
because  our  brother  was  known  for  his  good  deeds. 

"  When  I  think  of  the  manner  in  which  Broth- 
er Miller  used  his  property,  and  the  many  generous 
gifts  he  made  to  charity,  to  education  and  to  mis- 
sions there  come  to  me  the  words  of  Zacchaeus, 
who  told  his  Lord,  '  Behold,  Lord,  the  half  of  my 
goods  I  give  to  the  poor '  (Luke  19:  8).  When  I 
think  of  the  strength  of  character  which  this  man 
possessed  I  hear  the  words  of  David — words  much 
more  fitting  on  this  occasion  than  when  David 
spoke  them :  i  Know  ye  not  that  there  is  a  prince 
and  a  great  man  fallen  this  day  in  Israel '  (2  Sam. 
3:38)? 

"Again,  the  words  that  were  used  to  describe 
Barnabas  would  fittingly  apply  to  this  occasion: 
'  He  was  a  good  man,  and  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
and  of  faith :  and  much  people  was  added  unto  the 
Lord'  (Acts  11:  24).  When  I  think  of  his  strong 
Christian  faith  the  words  of  Job  keep  ringing  in  my 


337 

ears : '  I  know  that  my  redeemer  liveth,  and  that  he 
shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the  earth '  (Job 
19 :  25) .  And  then  I  go  back  a  few  years  to  the  time 
when  my  own  mother  was  sick,  only  a  few  days  be- 
fore she  passed  away,  as  she  asked  for  her  New  Tes- 
tament and  turned  to  these  words  of  Paul  to  his 
son  Timothy :  i  For  I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered, 
and  the  time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand.  I  have 
fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I 
have  kept  the  faith :  Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for 
me  a  crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the 
righteous  judge,  shall  give  me  at  that  day:  and 
not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also  that  love  his 
appearing.' 

"  When  I  think  of  the  attacks  that  have  been 
made  against  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  who 
was  conceived  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  born  of  the 
Virgin  Mary,  and  then  consider  how  D.  L.  Miller 
ever  stood  for  the  Deity  of  Jesus  Christ,  I  hear 
Paul  cry  out,  '  I  determined  not  to  know  any- 
thing among  you,  save  Jesus  Christ,  and  him  cru- 
cified' (1  Cor.  2:2).  Finally,  I  recall  the  more 
than  one  hundred  Bible  land  lectures  which  our 
brother  delivered  in  this  and  the  old  college  chapel, 
the  chief  purpose  of  which  was  to  establish  the  au- 
thenticity of  the  Holy  Scripture,  not  to  mention 
the  hundreds  of  sermons  he  preached  here  and  all 
over  the  world.  I  turn  to  Psa.  119 :  9-16,  and  would 
especially  emphasize  the  9th  verse :  '  Wherewith- 
al shall  a  young  man  cleanse  his  way?  by  taking 
heed  thereto  according  to  thy  word.' ' 

At  the  close  of  the  speaker's  remarks,  Elder 
John  Heckman,  of  Polo,  read  the  following  reso- 


338  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

lutions  passed  by  the  faculty  and  trustees  of  Mount 
Morris  College : 

"  Whereas,  God  in  his  infinite  wisdom  has 
called  home  our  beloved  brother,  Elder  D.  L.  Mil- 
ler, we  wish  to  have  recorded  an  expression  of  our 
sorrow  and  sympathy. 

"  Elder  Miller  has  served  Mount  Morris  Col- 
lege as  business  manager,  president,  and  for  thirty- 
five  years  was  president  of  the  board  of  trustees. 
As  a  friend  of  education,  he  was  always  very  much 
interested  in  all  the  colleges  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren. 

"  In  his  official  connection  with  Mount  Morris 
College  he  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  educa- 
tional work  of  the  church.  While  yet  a  young  man, 
he  gave  up  a  good  business  to  become  business 
manager  of  the  college.  It  is  fitting  to  note  that  he 
is  the  last  of  four  prominent  men  in  Mount  Morris 
College  to  leave  us,  the  other  three,  J.  G.  Koyer, 
Joseph  Amick  and  Melchor  Newcomer,  having  died 
recently. 

"As  business  manager  of  the  college,  he  dis- 
played the  same  ability  and  faithfulness  that  has 
always  been  characteristic  of  our  brother.  When 
money  was  needed  to  further  the  work  he  was  ready 
to  give  liberally  of  his  means.  When  a  president 
was  needed  to  tide  over  a  critical  period  he  was 
drafted  and  assumed  the  responsibility,  doing  the 
work  nobly. 

"  During  the  generation  of  his  presidency  of 
the  board  of  trustees,  many  difficult  problems  were 
met,  and,  due  largely  to  his  persistency,  steady 
progress  has  been  made. 


339 

"  His  real  worth  to  the  college  cannot  be  esti- 
mated. The  library,  of  about  three  thousand  vol- 
umes, which  he  has  left  to  the  school,  will  ever 
constitute  a  memorial  to  his  interest  in  the  best 
things  of  life. 

"  To  his  faithful  wife  who,  by  encouragement 
and  good  counsel,  has  had  a  large  share  in  the  work 
of  our  brother,  we  extend  our  sympathy  in  this 
hour  of  supreme  sorrow. 

"  Our  brother  left  us  at  a  ripe  age,  but  full  of 
a  youthful  desire  to  be  busy  laboring  for  the  good 
of  humanity.  Though  his  body  is  dead,  the  noble 
spirit  he  possessed  will  live  on  wherever  his  life 
and  work  are  known. 

"  Be  it  resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolu- 
tions be  given  to  the  devoted  companion  of  our 
brother,  a  copy  be  printed  in  the  Gospel  Messenger, 
Mount  Morris  Index  and  College  Bulletin. 

"  Fraternally  submitted, 
"  Trustees  of  Mount  Morris  College, 
"  Faculty  of  Mount  Morris  College." 

At  the  Conference  the  missionary  program 
was  turned  into  a  memorial  service  for  Brother 
Williams  and  Father  Miller.  That  afternoon 
Brother  H.  C.  Early  read  Father's  last  message  to 
this  body,  and  spoke  very  fittingly  of  his  work  in 
the  church,  giving  in  detail  the  various  activities 
of  his  busy  life,  reviewing  his  educational  and  mis- 
sionary work,  his  travels  and  his  gifts  to  the 
church,  relating  events  that  need  not  be  repeated 
here,  for  they  have  already  been  given. 


340  LIFE  OF  D.  L.  MILLER 

For  many  years  Father  had  maintained  a  lot 
in  the  old  Silver  Creek  cemetery,  where  his  grand- 
parents were  buried.  Some  few  years  before  his 
death  he  changed  to  a  cemetery  just  west  of  Mount 
Morris,  explaining  that  one  or  the  other  of  them 
would  go  first  and  he  wanted  that  one  to  lie  close 
home,  so  that  the  grave  could  be  visited. 

The  last  moments  of  his  life  were  singularly 
connected  with  the  places  and  people  he  loved  best. 
His  last  love  feast  was  at  his  old  home  church. 
Brother  Wilbur  Stover,  with  whom  he  had  spent 
those  pleasant  months  in  India,  could  be  with  him 
during  some  of  his  last  hours.  His  death  came  in 
the  home  of  his  sister,  who  had  been  a  daughter  to 
him,  and  of  Galen,  her  husband,  who  had  been 
more  than  a  son  to  him — had  been,  in  fact,  his  con- 
fidential friend  through  so  many  years.  His  de- 
voted wife  was  at  his  side,  comforting  him  to  the 
very  end.  And  he  was  laid  to  rest  near  that  home 
for  which  he  had  lived  and  loved  and  labored — laid 
away  from  our  sight,  but  the  spirit  of  his  love 
broods  over  us,  a  comforter. 


HIS  OLD  HOME   CHURCH  WHERE  HE  CONDUCTED 
HIS  LAST  LOVE   FEAST 


BX 
7<?^5 
Ks  S3 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


EGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A    001  029  899    o 


